NEWS January 27, 1998

               MELISSA E. NEWMAN TO BE APPOINTED DEPUTY CHIEF,
                   POLICY AND PROGRAM PLANNING DIVISION, 
                            COMMON CARRIER BUREAU
                                      
                Melissa Newman will be appointed Deputy Chief in the Common Carrier
Bureau's Policy and Program Planning Division.

                Since 1996, Newman has served as Assistant Chief of the Policy and
Program Planning Division.  In that capacity, she has worked on a variety of issues,
including local competition and preemption matters, regulation of Bell Operating
Company (BOC) provision of information services, and BOC requests to provide
long distance services.  She also was a member of the Commission's Preemption
Task Force.

                Previously, Newman served as Legal Advisor to the Common Carrier Bureau
Chief, working on issues in the Policy and Program Planning Division and the
Network Services Division.  Prior to advising the Bureau Chief, Newman was an
associate with Willkie, Farr and Gallagher in Washington, D.C.  Newman began her
career in telecommunications in 1989 as a staff attorney in the Policy and Program
Planning Division.

                Newman received her J.D. in 1989 from the Washington University School
of Law in St. Louis, Missouri.  She received her B.A. in International Relations in
1986 from the University of Minnesota. 

                                    - FCC -