NEWSReport  No. CI 97-4            COMPLIANCE AND INFORMATION ACTION          April 7, 1997
                                    
  FOUR FCC FIELD OFFICES COORDINATE DONATIONS OF COMPUTERS TO SCHOOLS;
         TAKE THE LEAD IN FOSTERING PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

     FCC field offices in Philadelphia, PA, Detroit, MI, New York, NY, and Columbia, MD,
have coordinated efforts resulting in the donations of 360 computers and $8,000 for computer
equipment for schools in those areas.

     In response to a request by the FCC's Philadelphia office, the Philadelphia Personnel Defense
Center, Department of Defense, has donated 250 used but operational computers to    two
Philadelphia high schools, University City High School and George Washington High School.  
Students from these two schools in turn test the computers for proper operation, make minor repairs,
and then distribute the computers throughout the Philadelphia school system.

     In Michigan, the FCC Detroit office and the Detroit office of Communities in Schools teamed
up to obtain 80 computers for the Detroit public schools.  The U.S. Army Automotive Research
Development and Engineering Center in Warren, MI, donated 47 computers.  The rest were donated
by the Ford Motor Company, St. John Health Systems, Penobscot Travel, OmniCare, and the Greater
Detroit Chamber of Commerce.  Diversified Computer Services, also of Detroit, has been testing the
computers to ensure that they are operational for the schools' needs.

     The FCC's New York office was responsible for obtaining $8,000, donated jointly by
Chesebrough-Ponds Corp. and Pathmark Stores, Inc., for computer equipment for the East Harlem
Performing Arts School.

     On a recent Saturday the FCC's Columbia, MD, office held a computer refurbishing day
during which parents, teachers, school technical experts, and FCC employees worked together to
distribute 40 FCC surplus computers to four schools in Washington, DC, and three schools in
Maryland. 

      FCC Chairman Reed Hundt said, "This is a fine example of the kind of partnerships that our
country needs to get all our schools on the Information Highway.  I applaud the outstanding efforts of
our four field offices.  However, as we all are well aware, obtaining computers is just one part of the
challenge.  Connecting the classrooms, training teachers, and integrating the Internet into the
curriculum are the other challenges which the public and private sectors must accept to bring the
Internet into every classroom."

                                  - FCC -

     News Media contact: Rosemary Kimball at (202) 418-0500.
     Compliance and Information Bureau contact: Roy Kolly at (202) 418-1154.