April 26, 1994

                         BRIAN FONTES TO LEAVE FCC

     Brian Fontes, Senior Advisor to Commissioner James Quello
and Chief of Staff during Quello's tenure as Interim Chairman,
will leave the Commission next month.  Fontes will join the
Cellular Telecommunications Information Association (CTIA) as a
Senior Vice President.

     Fontes holds a Ph.D. in Mass Media/Telecommunications from
Michigan State University.  Fontes joined the Commission in 1978
as a Policy Analyst in the Office of Plans and Policy.  He
subsequently joined the Mass Media Bureau's Policy and Rules
Division.  In 1985, he was named as a Special Assistant to
Commissioner Quello and then in 1992, as his Senior Advisor. 
From February 1993 until December 1993, Fontes served as FCC
Chief of Staff and then was asked by Chairman Reed Hundt to co-
chair his Transition Team.

     While at the FCC, Fontes served as a member of a number of
U.S. delegations including the 1987 ITU's World Administrative
Radio Conference on Mobile Communications in Geneva, Switzerland
and the ITU's 1991 TELECOM.  More recently, Fontes participated
in USIA programs in South Africa, Nigeria and Niger, State
Department delegations to the U.K., Slovenia, and the E.C.-U.S.
Rome meetings.  Fontes also served on the Federal Wireless Policy
Committee, and the National Information Infrastructure,
International Working Group.

     Commissioner Quello expressed his thoughts on Brian's
departure with the following remarks.  "My staff will all be
wearing black armbands the day the FCC loses the distinguished
services of Dr. Brian Fontes.  With his communications expertise,
he was a superior senior staff advisor.  Also, he was a most
effective, consensus building Chief of Staff during the most
intensive period in my 20 years at the FCC.  I am grateful for
his outstanding dedicated service at the FCC, and I cherish his
continuing friendship.  In short, he is one helluva guy!  CTIA
has drafted a real winner."


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      Chairman Hundt added, "Brian's expertise and advice have
been invaluable to me in my first six months.  He has provided me
and my Chief of Staff with the benefit of his experience, and I
am deeply grateful to him for that.  I know that CTIA is well
aware of how lucky they are to attract someone this great and
talented, and I look forward to continuing to work with Brian in
his new career."

     While at the FCC, Fontes worked extensively on mobile
telecommunications issues.  He said today, "I'm looking forward
to the variety of opportunities facing the cellular industry. 
Although I'm somewhat sad about leaving the FCC where I've
enjoyed so many challenges, I am very pleased to have the
opportunity to continue my professional interest in mobile
communications, and I look forward to working with CTIA."


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