NEWS   NEWSFebruary 25, 1998

                   RICHARD D. LERNER NAMED DEPUTY CHIEF, 
             COMPETITIVE PRICING DIVISION, COMMON CARRIER BUREAU
                                      
                                     Richard Lerner has been appointed Deputy Chief of the Competitive
       Pricing Division of the Common Carrier Bureau.  Lerner previously served as
       an Attorney-Advisor in the Competitive Pricing Division, where he was the
       team leader in the Commission's reform of its interstate access charge system. 
       
                      Since Lerner joined the FCC in 1995, he worked on the Commission's
       Local Competition (Interconnection) Order and the Price Cap proceeding. 
       Prior to joining the Commission, Lerner was engaged in the private practice of
       law with Reed Smith Shaw & McClay.  He also served as Assistant Attorney
       General for the Territory of American Samoa.  
       
                      Lerner is a graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law
       and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.  He
       resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with his wife, Melinda Frederick, and
       children, Grace and Griffin.
       
                                       - FCC -