FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                    Contact:    William J. Friedman
March 16, 2001                                    (202) 418-2300
                                

        PRESS STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER GLORIA TRISTANI
          DISSENTING FROM THE FCC'S SUSPENSION OF AT&T
                      COMPLIANCE DEADLINES

The decision by my colleagues to suspend AT&T's obligation to meet certain compliance
deadlines effectively eliminates the requirement that AT&T divest its interest in Time Warner
Entertainment L.P.  It eviscerates the public interest protections secured by the Order approving the
AT&T-MediaOne merger.  Notwithstanding the D.C. Circuit Court's decision regarding our cable
horizontal ownership limits, in the absence of a final Order from the Court or a request by AT&T for
relief, this action is premature and unjustified.

The Commission's action once again sends the signal that it cares more about the interests
of large corporations than it does about maintaining a vibrant and diverse marketplace of ideas.