The Telecommunications Research & Action Center (TRAC) applauds its chairman and founder, Samuel A. Simon, on being elected Chairman of the Board of the National Consumers League (NCL) in 2003.

Mr. Simon founded TRAC as a non-profit membership organization in 1983 to promote the interests of residential telecommunications consumers, and served as TRAC's president through 1986. TRAC staff has, for the past twenty years, been issuing rate comparisons and consumer guides on long distance service, dial around, directory assistance, and competition and been working on behalf of consumers with policymakers at both the federal and state level.

"TRAC congratulates Sam on his new appointment. We are pleased to share his expertise and 32 years of experience advocating on behalf of consumers with the National Consumer League," said Kate Dean, TRAC senior associate.

The National Consumers League (http://www.nclnet.org) and its leaders have played active roles in the social and economic history of the United States since the 1890s, when the League first began fighting for American consumers. NCL participates in more than 50 coalitions, advisory committees, and boards, and provides the consumer's perspective on concerns including child labor, privacy on the Internet, food safety, and medication information.

Mr. Simon is a nationally recognized authority on consumer and public affairs. He is a lawyer, graduating with honors from the University of Texas School of Law in 1970, and worked as one of the first lawyers for Ralph Nader. He is a published author, having written three books and several articles. He also has testified before Congress on many occasions. Simon has served on the NCL board for nearly 20 years, and for the last four years as Chair of Development Committee on the Board of Directors at the NCL.

In November 2002, Simon was named by Governor Mark Warner to serve on the Virginia Rehabilitative Services Advisory Board. In addition to TRAC, Mr. Simon is also a member of the board and secretary of the World Institute on Disability; Commissioner, Fairfax County Consumer Protection Commission; and Member, Board of Overseers, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.

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MEDIA CONTACT:

John Breyault, TRAC, johnb@trac.org, 202-263-2943

ABOUT TRAC:

The Telecommunications Research and Action Center (TRAC), founded in 1983, is a non-profit membership organization based in Washington, DC that promotes the interests of residential telecommunications customers. TRAC staff researches telecommunications issues and publishes rate comparisons to help consumers make informed decisions regarding their long distance and local phone service options. TRAC can be found on the web at http://www.trac.org.