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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release May 27, 1997

                    STATEMENT OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
             On the Resignation of FCC Chairman Reed Hundt

Reed Hundt's departure as Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is a tremendous loss for this Administration. Under Chairman Hundt's leadership, the FCC has produced high quality work in the face of an enormous work load, and earned a reputation for consistency, integrity and fair mindedness. Reed Hundt helped pave the way in the Information Age. His influence at the FCC will be felt for a very long time.

Perhaps Chairman Hundt's greatest accomplishment was proving that government can adopt policies that promote both market values and family values. For example, he helped to open up communications markets in the United States, and made sure that our pro-competitive agenda was successfully exported through the World Trade Organization telecommunications agreement and other landmark bilateral treaties. He helped to spur and then guide the move from analog to digital communications.

And where market-based policies would not protect the public interest, Chairman Hundt worked to make sure that the American people were represented. He freed up spectrum for police and fire officials' emergency communcations. He promoted diversity in the media. He worked tirelessly to guarantee that television will carry educational programming for our children.

Most importantly, Chairman Hundt crafted and won support for policies to bring the information superhighway into every classroom and library in the country. His goal was to ensure that America did not become a country of information haves and information have-nots. Instead, he worked to provide all of our young people -- rich and poor, urban and rural -- access to the vast resources of the Internet and other communications technologies. He has brought that dream to life, and the country will long benefit from his efforts.

I have been happy to call Reed Hundt a friend since my freshman year in high school. I could not be prouder of his extraordinary accomplishments. I hope and expect that he will return some day to public service.