Verizon Expands 7 Megabits Per Second High Speed Internet Service to 1.2 Million Additional Customers in the East

NEW YORK, March 12 /PRNewswire/ — Some 1.2 million additional consumers in 12 Eastern states and the District of Columbia can now order the new ultra- fast Verizon High Speed Internet service, which provides an appealing alternative to cable Internet.

The new service more than doubles the speed of Verizon’s current fastest offer and delivers a more robust broadband and entertainment experience. It provides qualified customers a downstream connection speed of up to 7 megabits per second (Mbps) for as low as $39.99 a month when ordered with an annual service plan.

“Our 7 megabits per second Internet service allows you to quickly download information from the Internet and provides an attractive alternative to cable modems,” said Susan Retta, vice president, broadband solutions for Verizon. “This faster High Speed Internet service provides a more enjoyable online experience that supports everything from sharing remote work files, gaming and viewing video clips over Verizon’s reliable network.”

The following locations are part of the 7 Mbps High Speed Internet expansion: Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia.

In January, Verizon introduced its fastest Internet service to more than 400,000 home phone lines in the Great Lakes, Southeast, South and West Coast. Verizon expects the 7 Mbps service to be available to more than 2 million homes and small businesses in 22 states and the District of Columbia by the end of 2008.

For more information about service availability, pricing and features, consumers can call 877-483-5898 or visit http://www.verizon.com/superspeed.

About Verizon High Speed Internet

Verizon High Speed Internet service is delivered on a dedicated line from Verizon’s central office to the customer’s home and is backed by live, 24 x 7 customer service and technical support. High Speed Internet subscribers have access to an extensive collection of features and services, including:

   — Online protection with Verizon Internet Security Suite:  In one      download, this comprehensive online protection suite provides anti-      spyware, anti-virus, firewall, parental control, pop-up blocker and      privacy manager protection that run continuously behind the scene.  The      suite automatically updates every three hours.  Just set it and forget      it.  The cost is just $4.99 a month for use on up to three household      computers.   — Verizon Premium Tech Support:  A unique service that provides expert      one-on-one assistance for a wide variety of issues like spyware,      adware, viruses, hardware problems, computer operating systems and      other issues not typically covered by Internet service providers.  The      service supports routers, network cards, video cards, sound cards,      CD/DVD reader-writer, hard drives, flash memory systems, printers,      scanners, gaming consoles, and firewalls and more.  The cost is $14.99      a month.   — Online gaming from Verizon:  Play hundreds of the most popular PC games      for free with Verizon Arcade, or choose from a variety of Verizon Games      on Demand packages, including Family Place, a package that features      more than 400 family-friendly casual games for just $7.99 a month.   — Free entertainment for children of all ages with Disney Connection:      From activities, games and classic cartoons to movie previews, music      videos and more, Disney Connection provides age-appropriate content for      preschoolers, kids, teens and Disney enthusiasts.  The content includes      access to Playhouse Disney Preschool Time Online and Disney Game      Kingdom Online.   — Free news from ABC News Now:  A 24-hour news and information channel,      ABC News Now delivers live breaking news, headlines every half hour,      and more than 25 original news, lifestyle and entertainment programs      such as “Politics Live,”"What’s the Buzz” and “Money Matters.”   — Free sports from ESPN360:  The service offers programming that includes      hundreds of hours of live games, analysis and exclusive content on-      demand with exclusive access to the Internet’s best events.   — One-of-a-Kind NFL Experience Online: Customers who subscribe to Verizon      High Speed Internet and DIRECTV from Verizon enjoy the added benefit of      free access to NFL Network Game Extra, a unique service that includes      live, online broadcasts of Thursday and Saturday pro football games.      Viewers of the online broadcasts will have access to alternate camera      angles and live audio feeds and have the ability to view one of four      camera angles, or all four angles simultaneously.  The online service      can be accessed anywhere in the world through any broadband connected      computer.     NOTE: actual (throughput) speeds will vary.   

Verizon Communications Inc. , headquartered in New York, is a leader in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America’s most reliable wireless network, serving nearly 66 million customers nationwide. Verizon’s Wireline operations include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings customers the benefits of converged communications, information and entertainment services over the nation’s most advanced fiber-optic network. A Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 235,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com/.

VERIZON’S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other information are available at Verizon’s News Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases.

Verizon

CONTACT: Media: Kevin Laverty, +1-425-261-5855,kevin.laverty@verizon.com, or Bill Kula, APR, +1-972-718-6924,william.kula@verizon.com, both of Verizon

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/http://www.verizon.com/superspeed

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