NEWSReport No. CC 97-16   COMMON CARRIER ACTION               April 11, 1997
                                      
                     COMMISSION ADOPTS TRANSITION PLAN 
                     FOR CARRIER IDENTIFICATION CODES; 
                     Conversion To End January 1, 1998 
                                      
       The Commission today released an Order setting a January 1, 1998 end to the
transition from three to four digit carrier identification codes (CICs) and from five to
seven digit carrier access codes (CACs).  Currently, both three and four digit CICs
and five and seven digit CACs may be used.  By January 1, 1998, however, only the
four digit CICs and corresponding seven digit CACs may be used. The Commission
said its actions serve the overall pro-competitive purposes of Communications Act, as
amended by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as well as balance the competing
interests of callers, carriers and equipment owners. 

       CICs are numeric codes that enable local exchange carriers, as providers of
interexchange access services, to identify access customers in order to bill and route
traffic to them.  CICs facilitate competition by enabling consumers to use the services
of any number of carriers at any telephone, both by presubscription and by "dialing
around."  A carrier's CIC is the unique suffix of its CAC, which is the number that a
customer uses to dial around.

       In the Order released today, the Commission noted that the demand for CICs
has grown because the number of carriers requesting CICs has increased and because
carriers are using CICs for an increasing number of purposes. To accommodate this
demand, the Commission said a greater number of CICs must be made available for
assignment and the transition must end as soon as practicable.  A transition is
necessary to avoid a flash-cut conversion, which would be contrary to the public
interest.

       The Commission affirmed the tentative conclusion it reached in the Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that the industry's plan to expand three digit Feature
Group D CICs to four digits is reasonable and noted that the expansion plan is
already underway. The Commission, however, shortened the originally proposed six-
year transition period to a two-year and nine month transition period. The
Commission said the shortened transition is reasonable because the industry has been
aware for some time that equipment changes to accommodate the exclusive use of
four digit CICs would be necessary.

       Finally, the Commission modified the current CIC conservation plan by
allowing each entity to have two CIC assignments and removing the condition that
second CICs be used only in connection with providing intraLATA toll services. 
The modifications  are intended to lessen any disadvantage new entrants may
experience during the transition.

       Action by the Commission April 7, 1997 by Second Report and Order (FCC
97-125).  Chairman Hundt, Commissioners Quello, Ness, and Chong.

                                     -FCC-

       News media contact:  Rochelle Cohen at (202) 418-0253.
       Common Carrier Bureau contact:  Elizabeth Nightingale at (202) 418-2352.