*Pages 1--1 from  Microsoft Word - 12574.doc*
 NEWS  News  media  Information  202  /  418-  0500  Fax-  On-  Demand  202  /  418-  2830  TTY  202/  418-  2555  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  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACT 
 November  1,  2001  Michelle  Russo  at  (202)  418-  2358 


 FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  POWELL  NAMES  INTRA-  AGENCY  TEAM  LEADERS 
 TO  REVIEW  PROPOSED  ECHOSTAR-  DIRECTV  COMBINATION 


 Washington,  D.  C.  -  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  today  announced  that  W.  Kenneth 
 Ferree,  chief  of  the  Cable  Services  Bureau  and  future  Media  Bureau,  will  head  an  intra-  agency 
 team  of  FCC  officials  to  review  whether  EchoStar  Communications  Corporation’s  proposed 
 acquisition  of  General  Motors’  Hughes  Electronics,  which  owns  satellite  television  service 
 DirecTV,  is  in  the  public  interest. 


 Chairman  Powell  said,  “The  team  I  have  assembled  includes  experts  from  different  FCC 
 offices  and  bureaus  that  deal  with  areas  and  issues  relevant  to  these  companies  and  I  am 
 confident  that  the  review  will  be  thorough,  fair  and  timely.  Given  the  significant  concentration 
 that  would  result  from  this  transaction,  it  will  be  rigorously  scrutinized  by  this  team  and  the 
 Commission.” 


 Jim  Bird,  Senior  Counsel,  Office  of  the  General  Counsel,  and  David  Sappington,  FCC 
 Chief  Economist  will  serve  as  senior  leaders  of  the  team.  Additional  members  of  the  special 
 coordinating  team  include: 


 Barbara  Esbin,  Associate  Bureau  Chief,  Cable  Services  Bureau 
 Julius  Knapp,  Deputy  Bureau  Chief,  Office  of  Engineering  &  Technology 
 JoAnn  Lucanik,  Satellite  Division,  International  Bureau 
 Royce  Dickens  Sherlock,  Deputy  Chief,  Policy  Division,  Cable  Services  Bureau 
 Donald  Stockdale,  Economist,  Office  of  Plans  and  Policy 
 Doug  Webbink,  Economist,  International  Bureau 


 Powell  said  that  he  has  assembled  this  team  in  advance  in  order  to  expedite  the  FCC’s 
 review  once  the  parties’  application  is  received. 


 -  FCC  - 
1