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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  CONTACT:  February  2,  2005  Mark  Wigfield,  202-  418-  0253 
 Email:  mark.  wigfield@  fcc.  gov 
 Mark  Stephens  Named  As  Advisor  On  Universal  Service  Fund  Oversight 
 Stephens  to  Lead  Efforts  To  Further  Safeguard  Fund 


 Washington,  D.  C.  –  Mark  Stephens  has  been  named  Special  Advisor  for  Universal  Service  Fund  Oversight  in  the  Wireline  Competition  Bureau’s  Telecommunications  Access 
 Policy  Division  (TAPD).  In  this  position,  Mr.  Stephens  will  advise  the  division  chief  and  the  division  management  on  issues  related  to  oversight,  audits,  accounting,  and  administration  of  the 
 Universal  Service  Fund.  Mr.  Stephens  will  lead  the  division’s  efforts  to  strengthen  oversight,  improve  administration  and  further  safeguard  the  Universal  Service  Fund  from  waste,  fraud,  and 
 abuse. 
 Mr.  Stephens  joined  the  FCC  in  1991  as  an  auditor  in  the  Common  Carrier  Bureau’s  Accounting  &  Audits  Division.  Mr.  Stephens  has  served  as  an  auditor  and  systems  accountant  in 


 the  Common  Carrier  Bureau’s  Accounting  &  Audits  Division  and  as  an  audit  team  leader  in  the  Enforcement  Bureau’s  Investigation  &  Hearings  Division.  Mr.  Stephens  joined  the  Wireline 
 Competition  Bureau  in  August  2003  and  has  been  working  on  Universal  Service  Fund  oversight  issues  since  that  time.  Before  joining  the  FCC,  Mr.  Stephens  worked  at  a  public  accounting  firm 
 and  maintained  the  position  of  Controller  in  a  private  firm.  Before  starting  his  career  in  accounting  and  auditing,  Mr.  Stephens  served  in  the  United  States  Navy. 


 Mr.  Stephens  is  a  Certified  Public  Accountant  and  received  his  M.  A.  from  the  George  Washington  University  in  2002  and  his  B.  A.  from  Loyola  College  in  1984. 


 -FCC-  News  about  the  Federal  Communications  Commission  can  also  be  found 
 on  the  Commission’s  web  site  www.  fcc.  gov. 
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