A representative sampling of network construction and engineering records included in the MCI Archives Accession no. 98-13. These records, originally housed at MCI's Richardson, TX engineering facility, document the acquisition, installation and major upgrades of MCI network transmission facilities throughout the Corporation's history, and include three main groups for which the selection criteria were developed. Files were sampled from 'Historical Files', mostly documenting the early construction efforts by MCI and the MCI regional carriers from around 1970 through the mid-70s; and two other groups, 'FCC Project Files' and 'Selvin Completed Projects' these being comprised of records related to the upgrading and expansion of network transmission facilities throughout the 1980s, including installation of digital facilities, various overbuild initiatives, and the transition to fiber optic technology. For the sampled groups, individual files and groups of files were selected that best represented typical activities in these areas, including microwave route selection and appraisal, negotiations for the acquisition of leases, rights of way and easements, and installation of MCI facilities. Records which included technical, budgetary, or other informational value were also selected. Routine correspondence with regulatory agencies without unique informational content was not sampled. Selection criteria included representation of the geographical spread of MCI's network as well as special construction concerns such as building in urban, environmentally sensitive, mountainous or wilderness areas, and records of negotiations with agencies and institutions such as regional agencies of the United States Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and Native American Tribal Governments. The original box inventory for this accession is appended, and groups of folders described herein are cross referenced to their original box location. A number of boxes from Accession no. 98-13, dealing with Ku-band satellite transmission using SBS facilities, have been transferred to Series XIV, Satellite Business Systems, to form Subseries G. Records Transferred from Network Engineering, of that series.

Records are arranged in three groups, alphabetically by MCI region or State and location name, with files containing general information not specific to a particular location arranged alphabetically by subject of file, before the location files: i. Historical Files ii. FCC Project Files iii. Selvin Completed Projects, in two groups: a. General projects and b. Fiber Optic Projects.