NEWS                                                         
January 15, 1997




                 FCC RELEASES REPORT ON LONG DISTANCE MARKET


     The FCC has released a newly revised staff report entitled
Long Distance Market Shares: Third
Quarter, 1996.  The report summarizes publicly available data on
long distance market shares.  Total
toll revenues earned by long distance carriers have increased
consistently since 1984.  According to
quarterly shareholder revenue data, AT&T's share of toll revenues
fell from nearly 90% in 1984 to
about 54% as of the third quarter 1996.  MCI's share of long
distance revenues increased from about
5% to 18% during that period; Sprint's share increased from 3% to
9%; and WorldCom (formerly
LDDS/WorldCom) obtained a market share of almost 5%.  The market
shares of smaller carriers grew
even faster, increasing from 4% to 15% during that same period of
time. 

     In addition to information on revenues, the report contains
information on switched access
minutes.  AT&T's share of the overall market for interstate
switched minutes declined from over 80%
in late 1984 to 53% in the third quarter of 1996.  Also shown in
the report is information on
presubscribed lines, of which AT&T's share also declined, but at
a more gradual rate.

     The report is available for reference in the Common Carrier
Bureau Public Reference Room,
2000 M Street N.W., Room 575.  Copies may be purchased by calling
International Transcription
Services, Inc. (ITS) at (202) 857-3800.  The report can also be
downloaded [file name
MKSH3Q96.ZIP] from the FCC-State Link internet site, which can be
reached via a link from the
Common Carrier Bureau home page (http://www.fcc.gov/ccb/) on the
World Wide Web.  The report
can also be downloaded from the FCC-State Link computer bulletin
board system at (202) 418-0241.


  -FCC-


     For additional information, contact Joe Bender or Katie
Rangos of the Common Carrier Bureau's
Industry Analysis Division, (202) 418-0940.