The FCC tentatively approved a fiber-optic link.

The commission’s approval covers the construction of a $733-million fiber-optic cable linking the U.S. mainland and Hawaii to Japan and Guam by 1988. Additional cables would link the network to South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines. Underwater fiber-optic cable circuits provide communication and other services--including telephone calls and data transfer--that previously could be provided only via satellite. The U.S. share of costs for the new cable would be about $320 million, of which $275 million would be provided by AT&T.;