FCC commissioner speaks at U.

As the "information superhighway" speeds along, many people find it difficult not to get run over by all the new communication outlets that have been developed recently. Luckily for students at the University, Susan Ness, a commissioner at the Federal Communications Commission, came to Philadelphia last week to shed some light on the subject of expanding communication and the government's role in managing that expansion. Ness lectured to over 40 students and faculty at the Annenberg School for Communications. Her speech was sponsored by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, as part of its "Women in the Public Sphere" lecture series. Annenberg Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson said one of the reasons she and her assistant, Deborah Stinnet, chose Ness was because of her connection to the University. Ness received a Masters in Business Administration from the Wharton School in 1983. Ness said she, along with four other FCC commissioners, promotes fair competition in the communications market. The FCC itself was created by Congress as a bipartisan agency that is independently regulated, she added. There are basically five means of communication that the FCC is involved with -- wired, wireless, broadcasting, cable television and satellite. These areas, in addition to the costs of hookups and various other expenses, end up costing the government over $600 billion per year, she said. Since this cost is quickly growing, the need for regulation is becoming increasingly necessary, Ness said. Ness added that members of the FCC serve to develop, police and regulate the Internet -- the global data network that carries a large amount of the nation's electronic traffic. As an example of the role of the FCC and the issues that it faces, Ness brought up video dial tone --which is a "telco platform" for which consumers may apply. She said it is offered to multiple service providers on a common carrier basis to deliver video programming. Many students said they felt the evening was a success and are looking forward to future events. "This was a fantastic opportunity for this campus," said College junior Andrew Monfried, the president of the Undergraduate Communication Society. "With the recent communication explosion, including the frequent use of Resnet and electronic mail, Ness provided valuable information to anyone using any of the various communication outlets."

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