Date:    12/17/1999  10:38 AM
Subject: Proposed Regulation FD

Well, it's about time!
     
As an individual investor, I am strongly in favor of requiring public 
corporations to treat *all* of their shareowners and potential shareowners 
equally and fairly.  Material information about company operations should be 
equally available to all, not just to a select group of major or institutional 
shareowners and Wall Street analysts.  There is no good moral or legal reason 
why I should be treated differently whether I own a single share or a 51% stake 
in a public company.
     
Some companies have claimed that full public access to conference calls and 
other material information is too difficult or costly, and even that it is of no
value or even harmful to small investors.  This could not be further from the 
truth.  With the resources available through the Internet, the costs of making 
this information publicly available are rapidly approaching triviality.  And 
while detailed financial information can be confusing to some unsophisticated 
investors, it is the *investor's* responsibility - *not* the company's - to 
decide whether outside assistance is necessary to analyze and understand the 
data.
     
It is also not true that such public disclosure is potentially harmful to the 
company's business.  One need look no farther than Microsoft or Cisco to see 
that a company can be enormously successful while treating all of its 
shareholders fairly.
     
I strongly support Chairman Levitt's efforts to create a level playing field for
all investors, both small and large.  Please look favorably upon Proposed 
Regulation FD, and pass it.
     
Thank you,
     
Mark Underwood
Electrical Engineer