DA 00-334 Released: February 18, 2000 PUBLIC FORUM STREAMLINING FCC REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS RELATING TO MERGERS The Transactions Team within the Office of General Counsel will hold a Public Forum on Wednesday, March 1, 2000, at the Federal Communications Commission, Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th St. S.W., Washington, D. C. 20554. The Forum will begin at 10:00 am and continue until 12:00 pm. The Forum will serve as an opportunity for public discussion of proposed streamlining of the FCC's processes for resolving applications to assign or transfer control of licenses, as well as requests to authorize or discontinue service, that are filed in connection with mergers and related types of transactions. An Agenda and materials to be discussed at the Forum will be made available to the public by Friday, February 25, 2000. In the wake of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, many existing companies holding licenses or authorizations of service issued by the FCC have been involved in mergers and other forms of consolidation. These transactions have led to unprecedented numbers of applications for the transfer of control or assignment of existing FCC licenses, and requests for FCC authorization of new service and discontinuance or impairment of existing service. Both the scope of industry consolidation and the FCC's efforts to review and act on the related applications and requests have generated substantial public interest. FCC Chairman William Kennard established the Transactions Team in the Office of General Counsel to ensure that the process of reviewing applications and requests associated with all transactions, including mergers, is predictable, transparent, and swift. Accomplishing this goal will enhance the FCC's ability to effectively meet its statutory obligation to protect the public interest (including the interest in competition) in this era of innovation, convergence, and consolidation. At the Public Forum, the Transactions Team and the Office of the General Counsel will present proposals for streamlining our processes that are currently under staff consideration. Next, there will be an opportunity for public questions and comments on these proposals. There also will be an opportunity following the Public Forum for the filing of written comments by mail or e-mail to the Transaction Team. All interested persons are invited to attend the Public Forum. Seating will be available on first come, first served basis. The audio portion of the meeting will be broadcast live on the Internet via the FCC's Internet audio broadcast page at . The meeting can also be heard via telephone, for a fee, from National Narrowcast Network, telephone (202) 966-2211 or fax (202) 966-1770. Audio and video tapes of this meeting can be purchased from Infocus, 341 Victory Drive, Herndon, VA 20170, telephone (703) 834- 0100; fax number (703) 834-0111. For further information, please contact Rosemary Kimball at 202-418-0500.