ÿWPC; ûÿ2ÿ ZB œ0Y¦ÿÿHP LaserJet 5Si MXôxþ6X@É7ûX@ÐЫôxþ6X@É7ûX@<þ6X9€`(CourierXXjô\  PŽG;XP%ô\  €`&Times New RomanX„Ÿô\  PŽG;„P%ô\  €`&Times New Roman„Xjô\  PŽG;XP%ô\  €`&Times New RomanXôxþ6X@É7ûX@<þ6X9€`(CourierXûÿ2193|xÑ#Xjô\  PŽG;XP#Ñ FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁCONTACT: Joy Howell April 6, 1999ÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁ 202/418©0505 ÐÐÑ#„Ÿô\  PŽG;„P#ÑFCC Chairman Kennard Reminds Consumers to Shop AroundÑ#Xjô\  PŽG;XP#Ñ ÐÐ ÁÁWashington, D.C. ©© FCC Chairman William E. Kennard today issued the following statement regarding long distance rates: ÁÁThe rates of long distance companies are largely unregulated. Companies may charge different rates for the same service. Competition however, has resulted in some very attractive plans. ÁÁ"If you don't like your long distance service, shop around," Kennard said. ÁÁThe Chairman went on to say that consumers who want to switch long distance carriers should analyze their calling needs, number of long distance calls per month, length of the calls and the time of day those calls are made. Consumers should ask their long distance company about rates per minute or per month, as well as monthly fees or minimum spending limits. ÁÁConsumers who are unsure about how to select a long distance company may wish to contact a consumer organization for more information. In addition, Telecommunications Research and Action Center (TRAC) compares long distance services on its web site which is located at www.trac.org. ÁÁ Finally, some long distance companies already post their rates on their company web sites and the FCC recently required all long distance carriers, that have web sites, to do so within the next few months. Consumers who want to do their own comparison shopping will be able to go to each long distance company web site to determine the best calling plan for their needs. ÁÁÁÁÁÁÁÁ#ÁÁ#ÁÁ#ÁÁ# Ñ#ôxþ6X@É7ûX@#Ñ