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 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  TTY:  1-  888-  835-  5322 
 FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE:  NEWS  MEDIA  CONTACTS:  December  1,  2003  Meribeth  McCarrick  418-  0654 
 Michael  Balmoris  418-  0253 
 FCC  CHAIRMAN  MICHAEL  K.  POWELL  ANNOUNCES  FORMATION  OF  INTERNET  POLICY  WORKING  GROUP 


 Washington,  DC  –  At  a  Federal  Communications  Commission  (FCC)  forum  today  to  discuss  issues  relating  to  Voice  Over  Internet  Protocol  (VOIP),  FCC  Chairman  Michael  K. 
 Powell  has  announced  the  formation  of  an  FCC  Internet  Policy  Working  Group. 
 The  Working  Group  will  assist  the  Commission  in  identifying,  evaluating  and  addressing  policy  issues  that  will  arise  as  telecommunications  services  move  to  Internet-  based  platforms. 
 The  cross-  bureau  and  multi-  disciplinary  working  group  will  be  directed  by  a  steering  committee  comprised  of  senior  management  and  staff  from  several  Commission  Bureaus  and  Offices,  and 
 will  be  staffed  as  needed  by  attorneys,  engineers  and  economists  from  across  the  Commission.  This  Working  Group  will  also  reach  out  to  key  constituencies  including  state  regulators, 
 consumer  groups  and  public  safety  organizations. 
 Chairman  Powell  said,  “Internet-  based  services  are  already  revolutionizing  the  way  consumers  do  things,”  said  Powell.  “They  are  having  an  even  greater  impact  on  the  future  of 
 telecommunications.  By  forming  this  Working  Group,  we  hope  to  gain  a  greater  understanding  of  how  policy-  makers  can  create  rational  policies  to  encourage  growth  in  Internet  services.” 


 The  members  of  the  steering  committee  for  the  Working  Group  include: 
 Co-  Directors  Robert  Pepper,  Chief  of  Policy  Development 
 Jeff  Carlisle,  Senior  Deputy  Chief,  Wireline  Competition  Bureau 
 June  Taylor,  Chief  of  Staff,  Consumer  and  Governmental  Affairs  Bureau  Anna  Gomez,  Deputy  Chief,  International  Bureau 
 Kyle  Dixon,  Deputy  Chief,  Media  Bureau  Jeffery  Goldthorp,  Chief  of  the  Network  Technology  Division,  Office  of  Engineering 
 and  Technology  Mary  McManus,  Special  Counsel,  Office  of  the  General  Counsel 
 David  Furth,  Associate  Bureau  Chief/  Counsel,  Wireless  Telecommunications  Bureau 
 For  additional  information  on  the  Working  Group,  please  visit  the  Internet  Policy  Working  Group  website  at:  www.  fcc.  gov/  ipwg. 
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