January 24, 1997

                  MICHAEL R. NELSON TO JOIN FCC'S
                      OFFICE OF PLANS AND POLICY
     The FCC has announced that Michael R. Nelson will be  joining the FCC's Office of
Plans and Policy as Director for Technology  Policy.  In this new position, he will be
addressing issues related to the development of the information highway particularly those
related to network infrastructure, technology standards, and the reliability and security of
networks.

     In announcing Dr. Nelson's appointment, Chairman Hundt said, "With his extensive
knowledge of communications technology, the information technology industry, and the
telecommunications policy-making process, Mike will help ensure that FCC policies foster the
development of the information highway.  I am very glad he has decided to join the FCC
team."

     Prior to joining the FCC, Dr. Nelson spent four years as Special Assistant for
Information Technology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where
he worked closely with the President's Science Advisor, Jack Gibbons, on the Administration's
Global Information Infrastructure initiative.   Prior to that, Nelson was a professional staff
member on the Senate Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and
Space, which was chaired  by then-Senator Al Gore. 

     Nelson has a B.S. from the California Institute of  Technology and a Ph.D. from the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Nelson and his wife, Anne Johnson, live in Virginia.

                               -FCC-