ADVISORY/Forum on Local Telecommunications Competition in California.

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 2-5 p.m.

USC Faculty Center

(Enter USC campus from Figueroa Street at Gate No. 3)

A major news story with national as well as statewide implications is just around the corner. The subject: The California Public Utilities Commission's upcoming decision on Pacific Bell's application to offer long-distance telephone service. The timing: As early as November. The issues: Is competition in the local telephone market becoming a reality? Are California consumers and businesses getting the benefits -- more choices, lower prices, better service -- contemplated by the 1996 Telecommunications Act?

To lay out the key questions and conflicting answers, RAND and the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California have gathered experts from all sides of the telecommunications industry, from consumer organizations, and from the research sector. Panelists include representatives from RAND, GTE, Pacific Bell, AT&T, MCI WorldCom, ICG Netcom, Covad, Cox Communications, Americans for Competitive Telecommunications, The Utility Reform Network, the California Small Business Association and the California Public Utilities Commission.

The agenda: discussion, debate, questions from the floor.

The Forum will also be Webcast live in Real Audio. See the Forum Website at www.usc.edu/annenberg/events for more information about the panelists and their positions.