NEWSReport No. CC 97-29 COMMON CARRIER ACTION May 29, 1997 Forum on Local Exchange Carrier Billing Issues To Be Held on June 24 The Common Carrier Bureau's Enforcement Division will host a public forum on June 24 on issues concerning local exchange carriers' performance of billing for other parties. Among other issues, the forum will focus upon the effects the present billing system may have on consumers. The forum will consist of panel discussions among representatives from state and federal government, incumbent and competitive local exchange carriers, interexchange carriers, independent billing agents, and industry associations. In addition to the general issue of protection of consumers in the marketplace, issues to be discussed include the following: (1) the importance of local exchange carrier (LEC) billing services for other carriers and consumers; (2) maintenance of an efficient LEC billing system; and (3) how the Common Carrier Bureau can promote greater dialogue between LECs, telecommunications carriers and other businesses regarding billing issues. The forum will be held on Tuesday, June 24, 1997, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm., in the Commission Meeting Room (Room 856), 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, DC. Live audio coverage of the forum may be obtained for a fee from National Narrowcast Network's "Hearings-On-The-Line" at (202) 966-2211. For information on obtaining a videotape of the forum, please contact the FCC's Audio-Visual Office at (202) 418-0460. Further details will be released prior to the forum. Any interested parties are invited to attend, and seats will not be reserved in advance. - FCC - For additional information contact: Darius Withers at (202) 418-7259 or Robert Spangler at (202) 418-0700. News Media Contact: Rochelle Cohen at (202) 418-0253.