News media Information: 202 / 418-0500 Fax-On-Demand: 202 / 418-2830 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov ftp.fcc.gov Federal Communications Commission 1919 M Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 This is an unofficial announcement of Commission action. Release of the full text of a Commission order constitutes official action. See MCI v. FCC, 515 F.2d 385 (D.C. Cir. 1974). July 17, 1997 SEPARATE STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER RACHELLE B. CHONG Re: Amendment of the Commission's Regulatory Policies to Allow Non-U.S.-Licensed Space Stations to Provide Domestic and International Satellite Service in the United States (DISCO II), IB Doc. 96-111; CC. Doc. No. 93-23; File No. ISP-92-007 I agree with my colleagues that we should issue this Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to seek comment on the potential impact of the World Trade Organization Agreement on our policies for authorizing access to the U.S. domestic market by non-U.S. licensed satellite systems. I write separately, however, to emphasize that it is not the goal of this proceeding to create unnecessary regulations or an overly restrictive framework for analyzing applications. Rather, we seek ways to foster a robust, competitive, world-wide market for satellite services. In my view, creating such a market is more likely to serve the public interest than intense regulatory scrutiny. Thus, I encourage commenters to examine the proposals discussed in this Notice carefully and suggest alternative approaches, if appropriate. -FCC-