The following statement regarding todays Federal Communications Commission action to allow Bell Atlantic to provide long-distance service in New York should be attributed to J. Richard Devlin, executive vice president and general counsel of Sprint:

The Federal Communications Commissions action today on Bell Atlantics application to provide long-distance service in New York is a bellwether for the changing face of competition in telecommunications, and highlights one of the main reasons for the pending Sprint-MCI WorldCom merger.

The New York decision has provided a blueprint for the Bell Companies to get long-distance approval in other states, if they fully meet the requirements. These developments, combined with AT&Ts plans for local access through cable connections, would give the monopoly Bell Companies and AT&T enormous market power with access to the home. In fact, Bell Atlantic projects it will take as much as 25 percent of the long-distance market in New York when it offers bundled services.

To ensure that consumers continue to benefit from competition and innovation in long-distance -- as well as the broader all distance market -- Sprint and MCI WorldCom are merging their assets to provide a third connection to the home. Specifically, the combination of the two companies MMDS fixed wireless licenses and other assets will give consumers another important competitive option.

Sprint will compete aggressively against Bell Atlantic as a full service provider in New York while the merger is in regulatory review. But todays decision is the first crest of a wave of new competition in telecommunications, and Sprint believes a merger ultimately is the best way to preserve competition and choice for consumers.

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