NTIA ANNOUNCES UNIVERSAL SERVICE HEARING

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

MEDIA ADVISORY


NTIA ANNOUNCES UNIVERSAL SERVICE HEARING


WASHINGTON D.C -- Assistant Secretary for Communications and
Information Larry Irving announced today that the National
Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the
New Mexico State Corporation Commission (NMSCC) will hold a
public hearing on "Communications and Information for All
Americans:  Universal Service for the 21st Century" on December
16, 1993.  The hearing will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. at the Technical Vocational Institute's Smith Brasher Hall,
717 University, S.E. (Room SB-100), Albuquerque, New Mexico.


The Administration's initiative on the National Information
Infrastructure (NII) seeks to extend the Universal Service policy
to reflect the information needs of the United States and its
citizens in the 21st Century.  Traditionally, in the United
States, Universal Service of telecommunications has centered on
achieving widespread availability of basic telephone service at
affordable rates.  As telecommunications and information
technologies have converged and advanced, the need to redefine
the concept of Universal Service has increased significantly.


Through this hearing, NTIA and the NMSCC seek public comment on:
(1) the effectiveness of today's Universal Service policy as it
relates to basic telephone service; (2) how the present Universal
Service policy may be improved and expanded; (3) who should pay
to support a broader, more modern Universal Service policy; (4)
what information and network services should be included in a
modernized definition of basic services; and (5) how the
government and the private sector can work together to inform the
public about and prepare for the new Information Age.


This hearing will be the first of a series of universal service
and universal access hearings sponsored by NTIA to be held across
the United States seeking public input and discussing government
telecommunications policy.


The hearing is open to the press and public, but space is limited
to register in advance, please contact NTIA at:


Voice Mail              - 202/273-3366 or
Bulletin Board          - 202/482-1199 or
Internet                        - nii () ntia doc gov


If you have further questions, please contact James McConnaughey,
Joann Anderson, or Alfred Lee at (voice) 202/482-1880 or (fax)
202/482-6173.