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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                    News Media Contact:
February 26, 2001                                                                         David Fiske (202) 418-0513.     
                                                             

                                
     FCC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL POWELL DESIGNATES SPECIAL COUNSEL
            TO SPEARHEAD INTERNAL FCC REFORM EFFORTS


Washington --  FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell today appointed Mary Beth Richards as
Special Counsel to spearhead a comprehensive FCC reform project. Ms. Richards is currently
FCC Deputy Managing Director.

Powell said, "I am committed to making the FCC more efficient, more decisive, and more
responsive to the fast-moving changes in technology and telecommunications markets. Mary
Beth's extensive experience at the FCC and her commitment to excellence in government make
her the ideal choice."  Richards will oversee the project on behalf of the Chairman's office, and
will work closely with all of the bureaus and offices to ensure a smooth transition. 

Richards has been a Deputy Managing Director since 1997. She has held various
management and staff positions at the Commission including  Deputy Chief of the Common
Carrier Bureau, Special Counsel to the Commission for Reinventing Government, Chief of
Enforcement in both the Common Carrier and former Field Operations Bureaus, Legal Advisor to
the Chief of the Common Carrier Bureau and Staff Attorney in the Bureau's Tariff Division and in
the Private Radio Bureau.

She earned a J.D. from the Catholic University of America and a B.A. from the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University.  She is the recipient of the Meritorious Executive
Presidential Rank Award, the Federal Communications Commission's Gold Medal Award and the
Eugene C. Bowler Award.

                            - FCC -