*Pages 1--1 from  Microsoft Word - 19991.doc*
 NEWS  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). 


 News  Media  Information  202  /  418- 
 0500 
 Internet:  http://  www.  fcc.  gov 


 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE  Contact:  David  Fiske  (202)  418-  0513 
 July  21,  2002  Robin  Pence  (202)  418-  0505 


 STATEMENT  BY  FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL 
 ON  WORLDCOM  BANKRUPTCY  FILING 


 Today  WorldCom  filed  for  relief  under  Chapter  11  of  the  Bankruptcy 
 Code.  While  I  am  deeply  concerned  by  this  development,  I  want  to  assure  the 
 public  that  we  do  not  believe  this  bankruptcy  filing  will  lead  to  an 
 immediate  disruption  of  service  to  consumers  or  threaten  the  operation  of 
 WorldCom's  Internet  backbone  facilities.  It  is  my  understanding  that 
 WorldCom  has  obtained  funding  necessary  to  continue  operations  during  the 
 pendency  of  its  bankruptcy  proceeding. 


 This  Commission  will  act  vigilantly,  and  to  the  full  extent  of  its 
 statutory  authority,  to  protect  the  integrity  of  the  telecommunications 
 network  and  protect  consumers  against  any  abrupt  termination  of  service.  To 
 that  end,  I  am  contacting  WorldCom  to  reiterate  that  the  company's  regulatory 
 obligations  will  continue  to  apply.  We  will  continue  to  gather  information 
 relevant  to  WorldCom's  operations  and  advise  the  company  of  its  regulatory 
 obligations  to  its  customers.  This  Commission  stands  ready  to  intervene  in 
 bankruptcy  proceedings  as  necessary  to  ensure  that  the  bankruptcy  court  is 
 aware  of  and  considers  our  public  interest  concerns. 


 -  FCC  - 
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