Exhibit 99(a)
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                 MCI COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
                             CAPITALIZATION SCHEDULE
                                  (In millions)
                                   (unaudited)

Set forth below is the capitalization of the company as of September 30, 1997:

Debt(a):
  Secured debt:
     Capital lease obligations                                     $    420
     Other secured obligations                                           55
                                                                   --------
  Total secured debt                                                    475
                                                                   --------
  Unsecured debt: 
     Senior Notes, net                                                1,541
     Senior Debentures, net                                           1,383
     Commercial paper borrowings                                      1,741
     Other unsecured debt                                               194
                                                                   --------
  Total unsecured debt                                                4,859
                                                                   --------
Total debt                                                         $  5,334
                                                                   --------
Company Obligated Mandatorily Redeemable Preferred
     Securities of Subsidiary Trust Holding Solely
     Junior Subordinated Deferrable Interest
     Debentures of the Company (b)                                 $    750
                                                                   --------
Stockholders' equity:
     Class A common stock, $.10 par value, authorized
      500 million shares, issued 136 million shares                $     14
     Common stock, $.10 par value, authorized 2 billion
      shares, issued 560 million shares                                  60
     Additional paid in capital                                       6,394
     Retained earnings                                                5,607
     Treasury stock, at cost, 37 million shares                        (754)
                                                                   --------
Total stockholders' equity                                         $ 11,321
                                                                   --------
Total capitalization                                               $ 17,405
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(a)  For  additional   information   concerning  the  company's   capital  lease
obligations,  which are  obligations  of  subsidiaries  of the company  that are
guaranteed  by the  company,  and  for  additional  information  concerning  the
company's  long-term  debt,  see  Note  8 of  Notes  to  Consolidated  Financial
Statements  on pages 19 and 20 of the company's  Annual Report to  Stockholders,
which is included in Exhibit 13 to the company's  Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 1996.  Interest rates on capital lease  obligations,
on a weighted average basis, approximated 9.4% per annum at September 30, 1997.

(b) On May 29, 1996, MCI Capital I, a wholly-owned  Delaware  statutory business
trust (Trust),  issued $750 million aggregate  principal amount of 8% Cumulative
Quarterly Income Preferred  Securities,  Series A (preferred  securities) due on
June 30, 2026.  The Trust  exists for the sole purpose of issuing the  preferred
securities  and investing  the proceeds in the company's 8% Junior  Subordinated
Deferrable Interest Debentures, Series A (Subordinated Debt Securities) due June
30, 2026.