PUBLIC NOTICE
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
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WASHINGTON, D.C. 20554                                 DA 97-1963

News media information 202/418-0500                                        Internet:  http://www.fcc.gov                ftp.fcc.gov


                                   Released: September 12, 1997
                                                               
       FCC ESTABLISHES NETWORK INTEROPERABILITY HOME PAGE

Acting on recommendations by its advisory committee, the Network Reliability and
Interoperability Council, the FCC has announced the creation of a home page site to facilitate
coordination for telecommunications network interoperability.  The site establishes links to key
standards-setting and standards-related organizations identified by the Council in its July 15
report to the FCC on what should be done to comply with Section 256 of the Communications
Act.

Section 256, enacted in February of 1996, states two key purposes: (1)  "to promote
nondiscriminatory accessibility by the broadest number of users and vendors of
communications products and services to public telecommunications networks
used to provide telecommunications service" and (2) "to ensure the ability of users and
information providers to seamlessly and transparently transmit and receive information
between and across telecommunications networks."  To accomplish these purposes, the
Commission is required to establish procedures to oversee coordinated network planning by
providers of telecommunications services.  It also is authorized to participate in the
development by appropriate industry standards-setting organizations of public
telecommunications network interconnectivity standards that promote access.

In its report, the Council states that the objectives of Section 256 -- accessibility,
transparency, and seamless interoperability -- need to be pursued in context with other
important objectives of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, in particular, fostering
innovation, competition and deregulation in telecommunications.  The Council believes
utilization of voluntary, open, consensus-based standards-setting processes should be the
primary vehicle by which to achieve the various objectives.  The Network Interoperability
Homepage is at http://www.fcc.gov/oet/network.

Representatives of the Network Reliability and Interoperability Council will discuss their
report on September 16 at a comforum hosted by the International Engineering Consortium at
the Hyatt Regency in Reston, Virginia.  Speakers include FCC Chairman Reed Hundt and
NRIC Chairman Ivan Seidenberg.  For information about the comforum contact IEC at 312-
559-4600. 

                              FCC

For further information, contact Jim Keegan in the Office of Engineering and Technology at
(202) 418-2323.