Subject: proposed rules Author: "frank o'regan" at Internet Date: 11/19/99 7:57 PM I have been an investor for only a short while now, but even so I can see that the biggest threat to the OTC BB market order is outrageous stock price manipulation by some market makers and foreign brokerage firms. Particularly, illegal shorting (creating shares to sell short) has been, in my view, the biggest fraud I have ever seen in the stock market. When a company has a small number of outstanding shares, and some brokerage firms can sell unlimited nonexistent shares, how can market order be established or maintained? If the SEC is really serious about protecting the public from any frauds and is willing to fight against the unfair practices of these big firms, the SEC should regulate short sales in any stock market as listed stocks. I would like to propose that the shorting of OTC BB stocks becomes regulated, just as they are in the NASDAQ. It is unfair to the individual investor; and everyone, retail and the market makers alike, should be on equal footing. Thank you for your time. Frank O'Regan