September 16, 1997

    FCC CHAIRMAN HUNDT CHALLENGES INDUSTRY COUNCIL TO ENSURE
                RELIABILITY OF DIGITAL NETWORKS

     In a speech today to the International Engineering Consortium's Network Reliability
and Interoperability Council Comforum, FCC Chairman Reed Hundt said future high-speed,
digital networks ought to be as reliable as the telephone network is today. 

     In his remarks, Chairman Hundt highlighted how much more difficult it will be to meet
consumer demands for highly-reliable telecommunications as "new technologies are deployed,
new applications are developed, and new demands are put on the system."  He also described
how the explosive growth of the Internet and packet-switched networks will put unprecedented
demands on the existing phone network and require new approaches to network reliability.

     Hundt described scenarios for "digital disruption" which industry and government need
to work to avoid, including: (1) congestion of the phone network caused by an unanticipated
increase in Internet usage, (2) an overload of the Internet itself, and (3) an attack on the
network by malicious hackers or "information warriors."

     Hundt challenged the next iteration of the NRIC to examine its role in addressing these
issues.  In particular, he called on the next NRIC to:

     - Broaden its membership to include more of the new competitors who will be
connecting new networks and new technologies to the network;

     - Address the challenges of interconnecting all the different components of the evolving
network of networks;

     - Help the FCC ensure that its policies do not inadvertently hinder efforts to improve
the reliability of the network;

     - Focus more attention on security issues, such as those recently raised by the
President's Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection; and

     - Realize that reliability issues will more and more have to be addressed on a global
basis.

     Hundt said that network reliability depends upon effective industry cooperation and that
the FCC is committed to working with industry to facilitate such cooperation.

     The NRIC was organized by the FCC to provide expert advice to the Commission on
network-related issues requiring technical expertise.  NRIC's membership includes local
exchange and interexchange carriers, wireless and satellite service providers, cable television
service providers, equipment manufacturers, telecommunications consumers, state regulators,
standards-setting bodies, and trade associations.
                                                               
                            --FCC--