NEWS                                                           May 29, 1997

             FCC RELEASES NEW TELEPHONE SUBSCRIBERSHIP REPORT

     The FCC today released its latest report on telephone subscribership levels in the United
States.  The report presents subscribership statistics based on a survey conducted by the Census
Bureau in March 1997.  Statistics from that survey estimated that 93.9% of all households in
the United States had telephone service.  This is unchanged from the last report, for November
1996, and up 0.1% from March 1996, but it is 0.3% below the maximum reached in 1993.  Due
to sampling variability, these changes cannot be regarded as statistically significant.  The report
also shows different subscribership levels by state, income level, race, age, household size, and
employment status.

     In March 1997, the telephone subscribership penetration rate was 77.1% for households
with annual incomes below $5,000, while the rate for households with incomes over $75,000
was 99.0%.  By state, the penetration rates ranged from 86.4% in New Mexico to 97.5% in
Missouri.  Households headed by whites had a penetration rate of 95.0%, while those headed
by blacks had a rate of 87.3% and those headed by Hispanics had a rate of 86.3%.  By age,
penetration rates ranged from 85.0% for households headed by a person under 25 to 96.6% for
households headed by a person between 60 and 64.  Households with 6 or more people had a
pentration rate of 89.0%, compared to a rate of 95.0% for households with 2 or 3 people.  The
penetration rate for unemployed adults was 88.2%, while the rate for employed adults was
95.5%.

     This report is updated three times a year and is available in the Common Carrier
Bureau's public reference room, 2000 M Street, NW, Room 575, Washington, DC.  Copies may
be purchased by calling International Transcription Service at (202) 857-3800.  This report can
also be downloaded [file name: SUBS0397.ZIP or SUBS0397.PDF] from the FCC-State Link
internet site, which can be reached via a link from the Common Carrier Bureau home page
(http://www.fcc.gov/ccb/) on the World Wide Web.  The report can also be downloaded from
the FCC-State Link computer bulletin board system at (202) 418-0241.

     For further information, contact Alexander Belinfante at (202) 418-0944.

- FCC -NEWS