December 15, 1997

Federal Communications Commission, under pressure from big long-distance phone companies, reportedly plans to cut fees carriers must begin paying in Jan to help schools, libraries and health care institutions invest in Internet technology and other advanced communications; new FCC Chmn William E Kennard reportedly backs cutting maximum beneficiaries will get under 1996 Telecommunications Act by $750 million from act's ceiling of $2.65 billion; FCC decided to reduce charges after AT&T and MCI Communications Corp said fees could lead to higher rates and threatened to specify charges on customers' bills (M)

Bernard Holland reviews two Philip Glass concerts at Avery Fisher Hall (M)

New York Jets defeat Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-0; photo (M)

Hundreds of New York City preschoolers and their parents undergo traumatic week as Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale test is administered to applicants to Hunter College Elementary School, prestigious and highly competitive public school on Manhattan's Upper East Side; photos (M)

Selloff in technology stocks discussed; technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index lost 6 percent of its value in week; plunge reflects both investors' fear that Asian economic crisis will stunt growth of technology firms looking to Asia for sales and earnings growth and stiff price competition, glut of components and worldwide slowdown in personal computer sales; is significant because technology increasingly sets tone for broader stock market; graph (M)

The President intends to visit American troops in Bosnia before Christmas and to begin building a public case for keeping some forces there past the current deadline of June, Administration officials said. Details are not finalized, but Mr. Clinton may leave as soon as Sunday night for Tuzla and Sarajevo. The trip is described as a whirlwind visit, and the President will not stay overnight before returning to Washington.

Special report, A Room of His Own, traces progress of 23-year-old James Velez, developmentally disabled subject of earlier three-part series, which described his long struggle to escape world of institutions; year after Manhattan social-service agency, Job Path, moved him from institution into apartment in Ozone Park, Queens, to help him achieve measure of independence, he is steadily discarding burden of past and is slowly acquiring habits of the ordinary; he has since obtained job, is taking driving lessons and is searching for bigger apartment; agency hopes to demonstrate that most profoundly disabled people can live successfully with everyone else; Velez, institutionalized since age of seven, scratches himself to point of self-mutilation because of unexplained obsession that bugs are crawling all over him; photos (M)

Turkey to Freeze Europe Ties Stung by the European Union's rejection over membership talks, Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz said Turkey would seek a ''strategic partnership'' with the U.S. Page A3. Madison Ave. Closed Again Two days after being reopened, part of Madison Avenue was closed again when a crumbling building facade was found to be in worse shape than originally thought. Page B1. Jets Control Their Fate The Jets routed Tampa Bay, 31-0, and can make the playoffs -- and finish a stunning turnaround from a 1-15 season -- by winning on Sunday. SportsMonday, page C1.

Increasing number of Americans joining ranks of 'the old' are posing dilemma for their children, for whom prospect of taking car keys from those too old to drive represents step toward dependency and poignant reversal of roles; experts say suburbanized America is not ready to cope with population that can no longer take to highway, citing lack of adequate mass transit for rising numbers of those who can no longer drive or must limit driving; problem is demonstrated most vividly in Florida, where millions have been lured to suburban retirement communities, where no public transportation exists to support them when they reach 80's and 90's and physical or cognitive impairments force many to give up cars or use them less; experts are grappling with problem of how to identify unsafe older drivers without restricting those who are not at risk; overall, older drivers who spend far less time on road than other drivers have fewer accidents; however, on basis of accidents per miles driven, they have higher rate of crashes than middle-aged drivers, with rate rising after age 75 and increasingly significantly after 85; photos (M)

Would-be candidates for New York City mayoral election of 2001 are already testing the waters, even before lame-duck Mayor Rudolph W Giuliani is sworn in for his second term; among those positioning themselves are City Councilman Sal F Albanese, Rev Calvin O Butts 3d, Bronx Borough Pres Fernando Ferrer, Comptroller Alan G Hevesi, Assemblyman Brian M McLaughlin and Rev Al Sharpton; their photos (M)

Interview with Iranian Pres Mohammed Khatami, who aims conciliatory message at US; he says he hopes to re-establish dialogue with American people, for whom he says he has 'great respect;' stops short of saying he expects renewed official contacts between both Governments; American officials remain skeptical; photo (M)

New York City Housing Authority, in move to reverse concentration of desperately poor in public housing, will begin favoring working families over welfare recipients as it fills vacancies in move advocates for poor say will shut out those who need housing help most; measure follows nationwide trend in which housing authorities are seeking to lure working poor back to public housing as antidote to economic and social problems that plague many projects; comes as Congress considers bill that would repeal landmark 1937 Federal housing law, cutting roughly in half number of extremely poor tenants in projects by attrition; photo (M)