NEWS                                                         May 16, 1996
                                                                         
                                                                         
              WTB IS ON ITS WAY TO A PAPERLESS ENVIRONMENT 
           Bureau hosts electronic filing system demonstration
                                    
                                    
    Today, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) demonstrated its new
Electronic Filing System, which allows the Commission to run its licensing operations more
efficiently and to greatly improve public access.  Since February, the Bureau has received
approximately 24,000 applications electronically and electronic filing has reduced the
Bureau's application processing time by five days.  

    Sixty percent of all WTB services are available for electronic filing, including:
Personal Communications Services, Land Mobile Radio Services, General Mobile Radio
Services, Land Mobile Broadcast Auxiliary Service, and Interactive Video Data Service
license applications.  Filing electronically is easy and cost-free: the software is available to
download through the Internet or the FCC Bulletin Board System and there are no
communications costs associated with filing applications electronically.

    The Bureau has changed its process to encourage electronic filing of applications by
allowing auction winners that would otherwise have to file an application for each market
they won to file one application electronically for multiple markets.  This saves time and
resources for auction winners as well as processing time for Bureau staff.
    
    "If everyone filed electronically, the Commission would potentially save 8,125 staff
hours and approximately $100,000 for the American taxpayer," says Michele Farquhar,
Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Chief.  "This is just the beginning, and with more fully
automated processing systems in the future, the Commission will save an enormous number
of staff hours.  This will enable faster licensing and elimination of backlogs." 

    In October, 1996, the Bureau will implement Phase II of its electronic filing system,
which will cover all WTB services.  In Phase II, customers will be able to file petitions and
replies interactively; they will also be able to take advantage of a "one-stop shopping" feature
which will enable an applicant to file an application as well as the fee associated with it
electronically to the Commission.  
    
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    Future plans for electronic filing are to demonstrate its capabilities at trade shows and
conferences in order to promote more electronic filing and public access to FCC databases
and the Internet home page.  Also, beginning with WTB's cellular and PCS services, the
Bureau plans to implement a feature that will create a graphical map of the contours of all
service areas, allowing the customer to see what areas are available in a particular market. 
This enhancement is designed to eliminate the requirement for license applicants to file hard
copy maps with the Commission.

- FCC -

  News Media Contact:  Kara Palamaras at (202) 418-0654
  Wireless Telecommunications Bureau contact:  Karen Wrege at (202) 418-0667