ADVISORY/Experts Available To Discuss FCC Plans for Revising Telecom Regulations.

Business Editors

ADVISORY...

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2003

TOPIC: Tuesday, five commissioners from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are scheduled to give the Senate Commerce Committee an overview of their plans to revise regulations affecting local phone service, high-speed Internet access, and other telecommunications issues, according to an article by Reuters. Next month, the agency will decide whether to relax regulations that require large local telephone companies such as Verizon Communications and BellSouth Corp. to rent their network equipment to smaller startups and competitors. Consumer advocates fear that relaxing this rule will lead to high prices and little competition, the article says. EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

Robert Shanahan, co-founder, president and CEO of Conversent Communications, brings 20 years of experience in management, sales, operations, finance, and regulatory in telecommunications, long distance, wireless bypass, competitive access, and competitive local exchange to Conversent. Shanahan co-founded Conversent in June 1998 and has served as its president and chief operating officer since inception. Previously, Shanahan served as a regional vice president of Brooks Fiber Communications (WorldCom) for four years successfully developing a nine-city, six-state region. He was also an original member of the Brooks Fiber Communications senior management team. During his tenure at Brooks Fiber Communications, Shanahan was an active member of a service delivery task force, OSS task force, engineering standards committee and marketing and sales compensation committee. PR: Kathy O'Donnell, 617-443-9933 x328, [e-mail]

Bob Mazer, of Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., practices international telecommunications law. Since leaving the Federal Communications Commission staff in 1983, Bob has represented international, wireline, wireless and satellite companies, and companies engaged in the development of emerging telecommunications technologies. For these companies Bob has provided a broad range of strategic, regulatory and corporate support. He currently advises several companies on U.S. and international telecommunication regulatory issues. 202-639-6755, [e-mail]

Dr. James Green is a principal at LECG. He has over 20 years of experience in a wide variety of telecommunications economic and regulatory issues both at LECG and in his prior positions in the private and public sectors. His background as an industrial organization and regulatory economist spans from regulatory testimony and research responsibilities at local exchange carrier, SNET, to policy analysis at the FCC and university teaching and research. Prior to joining LECG, he served as Director for Regulatory Affairs and Public Policy at SNET. In that position, he was responsible for developing regulatory strategies, assembling filings before state and federal commissions, providing expert testimony, and managing the regulatory process for a host of pathbreaking legal proceedings, including unbundling and interconnection, new product filings and the company's statewide cable television application. He also provided expert antitrust testimony while at the Bureau of Economics of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington. 510-450-6784

ExpertSource cannot guarantee the immediate availability of these experts or their familiarity with this specific issue.

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