NEWS                                                            May 14, 1998

                   RICHARD METZGER TO LEAVE THE COMMISSION

       A. Richard Metzger, Jr. has announced that he will step down as Chief of the
FCC's Common Carrier Bureau.  

       "Richard has made immense contributions to the work of the Commission for
more than four years," said Chairman William Kennard.  "As a primary architect of
the Commission's common carrier policies, Richard has been instrumental in our
implementation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.  He is also a great teacher
and a friend.  Though I am sad to see him go, I recognize that he has worked non-
stop since coming to the FCC and certainly deserves to take a break."

        Mr. Metzger served as Acting Chief, and then Chief, of the Common Carrier
Bureau since September, 1997.  Prior to that, he served as a Deputy Bureau Chief of
the Common Carrier Bureau, supervising the work of the Competitive Pricing and
Policy and Program Planning Divisions.  In that capacity, Mr. Metzger oversaw the
Divisions' work on interconnection, access charge reform, and 271 issues.

       Prior to joining the Commission in December, 1993, Mr. Metzger was a
member of the law firm of Rogers and Wells, resident in the Washington, D.C.
office.  His areas of emphasis in private practice included telecommunications,
antitrust, and public utility regulation.

       Mr. Metzger is a graduate of Williams College, Phi Beta Kappa.  He received
a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

                                    - FCC -