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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,  SW  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.  Circa  1974). 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE: 
 January  19,  2001 


 CHAIRMAN  KENNARD  RELEASES  REPORT  ON  FCC’S 
 FIRST  GLOBAL  TELECOMMUNICATIONS  DEVELOPMENT  INITIATIVE 


 Washington,  DC  --  Today,  Chairman  William  Kennard  released  a  report  titled,  Connecting  the 
 Globe:  Telecommunications  Development  2000.  The  report  describes  the  FCC’s  initiative  to 
 work  with  developing/  emerging  nations  to  overcome  the  regulatory  obstacles  contributing  to  the 
 global  Digital  Divide.  The  report  describes  the  work  the  FCC  has  done  through  the  initiative,  as 
 well  as  the  partnerships  it  has  crafted  with  others  in  government,  mult  ilateral  inst  itutions,  and 
 industry. 


 The  report  includes  the  Work  Plans  signed  under  the  Initiative  with  regulatory  counterparts  in 
 Argentina,  Ghana,  Hungary,  India,  Jamaica,  Peru,  the  Philippines,  South  Africa,  Thailand, 
 Turkey  and  Uganda.  These  documents  broadly  outline  the  technical  expertise  the  FCC  is 
 committed  to  sharing  with  its  Work  Plan  partners.  The  report  also  explains  how  these  efforts  will 
 be  augmented  by  the  FCC’s  so-  to-  be  launched  on-  line  regulator’s  course,  developed  in 
 collaboration  with  the  Cisco  Learning  Institute. 


 Upon  its  release  Chairman  Kennard  remarked,  “Increased  collaboration  between  the  FCC  and 
 our  foreign  counterparts  is  essential  to  promoting  pro-  competitive  policies  abroad  to  lower 
 consumer  costs  and  increase  access  to  telecommunications  services.  I  am  extremely  proud  of 
 our  success  in  enhancing  regulator-  to-  regulator  contacts  through  the  Development  Initiative,  and 
 I  am  grateful  to  our  many  partners  –  both  government  and  private  –  who  have  contributed  to  this 
 effort.” 


 Additional  information  is  available  online  at  http://  www.  fcc.  gov/  ib/  developinitiative. 
 For  further  information  about  this  report  contact  Roxanne  McElvane  or  Jack  Deasy,  202-  418- 
 1460. 


 -  FCC  -. 
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