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 NEWS  News  Media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  TTY  202  /  418-  2555  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov  ftp.  fcc.  gov  Federal  Communications  Commission  445  12  th  Street,  S.  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.  Circ  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE: 
 November  9,  2000 


 Press  Statement  of  FCC  Chairman  William  E.  Kennard 
 Regarding  Part  68  Streamlining 


 Today,  I  am  very  pleased  to  participate  in  what  will  likely  be  the  largest  streamlining  of  our  rules 
 in  my  tenure  as  Chairman.  One  hundred  thirty  pages  of  detailed  technical  criteria  that 
 manufacturers  must  follow  when  they  manufacture  equipment,  such  as  faxes  or  modems,  will  be 
 replaced  by  a  few  pages  of  straightforward  guidelines. 


 Our  policy  requiring  phone  companies  to  permit  customers  to  plug  equipment,  such  as  modems, 
 into  the  phone  network  is  a  success  story  because  it  established  the  framework  to  what  is  today  a 
 robust  competitive  market  for  customer  premises  equipment.  The  FCC’s  rules  also  have  long 
 played  a  needed  role  in  ensuring  that  equipment  produced  by  the  almost  overwhelming  number 
 of  competing  manufacturers  does  not  harm  the  telephone  network  itself  or  technicians  who  work 
 on  the  network.  We  have  revised  our  rules  often  over  the  years,  but,  with  the  lightning-  fast  pace 
 of  technological  advances,  we  have  found  that  we  are  sometimes  unable  to  keep  up  that  pace 
 ourselves.  We  must  not,  through  our  rules  and  processes,  become  a  bottleneck  to  the 
 introduction  of  new,  advanced  technologies  and  services. 


 We  therefore  will  hand  over  the  function  of  setting  these  standards  to  the  manufacturers  of 
 consumer  equipment.  I  want  to  stress  that  we  are  in  no  way  shirking  our  responsibility  to  assure 
 that  the  telephone  network  continues  to  function  safely  and  at  the  highest  levels  of  performance 
 possible:  we  will  continue  to  enforce  our  overarching  rules  regarding  safety  and  service.  What 
 we  are  doing  today  is  getting  out  of  the  business  of  caring  for  every  single  tree,  and  instead  will 
 oversee  the  health  of  the  forest.  Our  action  today  meets  our  goals  both  of  protecting  the  network 
 and  of  ensuring  the  rapid  introduction  of  exciting  new  technologies. 


 We  do  retain,  however,  important  parts  of  our  rules.  For  example,  we  keep  our  rules  that  ensure 
 that  people  with  hearing  aids  are  able  to  use  all  telephones.  Deregulating  is  important,  but  we 
 must  continue  to  ensure  that  all  Americans  with  disabilities  have  access  to  telecommunications 
 services.  These  rules  are  too  important,  and  I  believe  that,  without  them,  the  marketplace  would 
 not  necessarily  ensure  the  high  level  of  quality  they  deserve. 


 As  I  have  frequently  stated,  this  Commission  should  shift  from  writing  rules  to  enforcing  them. 
 Rather  than  establishing  detailed,  inelastic,  prophylactic  rules,  the  Commission  should  look  to 
 establish  overarching  policies  with  a  strong  enforcement  mechanism  should  market  forces  fail  to 
 protect  consumers’  interests.  This  item  should  become  a  template  for  future  regulation  --  and 
 deregulation  –  by  this  Commission. 


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