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 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:  August  19,  2002  Lisa  Gaisford  at  (202)  418-  7280 
 QWEST  COMMUNICATIONS  CHAIRMAN  AND  CEO  RICHARD  C.  NOTEBAERT  ASSUMES  CHAIR  OF 
 NETWORK  RELIABILITY  AND  INTEROPERABILITY  COUNCIL 
 Washington,  DC  –  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K.  Powell  today  announced  that  Richard  C.  Notebaert,  Chairman  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  of  Qwest  Communications  International,  Inc., 
 will  assume  chairmanship  of  the  Network  Reliability  and  Interoperability  Council  (NRIC  VI). 
 Chairman  Powell  commented  on  his  selection  of  Mr.  Notebaert,  “I  am  very  pleased  to  have  Dick  take  over  as  Chair  of  NRIC.  His  extensive  background  in  the  Bell  system  will  provide 
 important  insight  and  expertise  as  we  address  the  critical  challenges  in  network  reliability  and  interoperability,  particularly  in  the  areas  related  to  homeland  security.” 


 Mr.  Notebaert  was  elected  Chairman  and  CEO  of  Qwest  Communications  on  June  17,  2002.  Formerly,  he  served  as  President  and  CEO  of  Tellabs,  a  position  he  had  held  since  2000. 
 Prior  to  working  at  Tellabs,  Mr.  Notebaert  held  the  position  of  Chairman  and  CEO  of  Ameritech.  Mr.  Notebaert  received  a  Bachelor  of  Arts  Degree  and  a  Master  of  Arts  degree  in  Business 
 Administration  from  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 
 The  role  of  the  NRIC  is  to  develop  recommendations  for  the  Commission  and  the  telecommunications  industry  to  insure  optimal  reliability,  security,  interoperability  and 
 interconnectivity  of,  and  accessibility  to,  public  telecommunications  networks  and  the  Internet.  NRIC  VI  will  work  on  traditional  reliability  issues  with  a  strong  emphasis  on  national  security. 
 The  Council’s  members  are  senior  representatives  of  providers  and  users  of  telecommunications  services  and  products,  including  telecommunications  carriers,  the  satellite,  cable  television, 
 wireless  and  computer  industries,  trade  associations,  labor  and  consumer  representatives,  manufacturers,  research  organizations  and  government-  related  organizations. 


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