NEWS                                    December 10, 1996

JOHN NAKAHATA WILL BE NAMED ACTING  CHIEF,
FCC'S COMPETITION DIVISION
      
     John Nakahata will be named Acting Chief of the Competition Division of the FCC's
Office of General Counsel.  Nakahata had served since May as Senior Legal Advisor to FCC
Chairman Hundt.  

     As Senior Legal Advisor, Nakahata also advised Chairman Hundt on common carrier
issues, including the implementation of the local competition provisions of the
Telecommunications Act of 1996.  Previously, Mr. Nakahata served as the Chairman's legal
advisor for mass media and cable issues.

     "John has played an invaluable role in helping me and the Commission as a whole to
meet and beat our Telecom Act deadlines and to do so with unanimous votes," said Hundt. 
"Through his hard work and wise counsel, he has earned the respect of everyone at the
Commission, members of the industry, state and local officials and public interest groups. 
He has a firm grasp of the issues facing the Commmission as it continues to implement
Congress' pro-competitive, deregulatory vision.  He will bring to this new role his
knowledge of and experience working with all areas of the Commission and I look forward
to continuing to benefit from his advice, especially as we move forward to complete the local
competition trilogy and address Bell entry into long distance."

     Prior to coming to the FCC, Mr. Nakahata was the staff director of the Subcommittee
on Regulation and Government Information, Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. 
The subcommittee was chaired by Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT).  In that position,
Mr. Nakahata worked on a variety of issues relating to government management and
effective regulation, including the issue of labeling of violent content in video games, liability
reform, and investigation of government waste.  Mr. Nakahata also advised Senator
Lieberman, who was an original cosponsor of the Cable Television Consumer Protection Act
of 1992, on telecommunications issues.

     Prior to his position with Senator Lieberman, Mr. Nakahata was an associate at the
law firm of Jenner & Block in Washington D.C.  Earlier, he served as a law clerk for the
late Judge John Pratt, U.S. District Court for D.C.  Mr. Nakahata holds a B.A. from
Wesleyan University and a J.D. from Harvard University.  He lives with his wife Pam Smith
and daughter Eileen in Alexandria.

  -FCC-