Nearly 1 Million Eligible Consumers in 50 New York Communities Can Now Get Verizon's Fastest DSL-Based Internet Service

NEW YORK, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 1 million qualifying consumers in parts of 50 New York cities, towns and communities now have a new broadband option from Verizon, as the company expands availability of its ultra-fast High Speed Internet service. It more than doubles the download speed of Verizon's current fastest digital subscriber line, or DSL, service and provides an appealing alternative to cable Internet.

The new Verizon High Speed Internet service offers 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. Verizon now offers the new service to some 3 million households and small businesses across the country.

"Verizon 7 Megabit High Speed Internet is the way to go for qualifying residents in New York who are looking for a better alternative to high-priced cable Internet," said Michelle Swittenberg, Verizon's vice president for marketing and sales in New York. "Now available to nearly a million New Yorkers, our super-fast High Speed Internet, backed by DSL technology, provides all the speed you need for everything you do online -- and at a reasonable cost. From digital music and streaming video to photo sharing and online gaming, to video conferencing and working from home -- it's faster, easier and more affordable with Verizon High Speed Internet."

(The full list of communities where the 7 Mbps broadband service is now available can be found at the end of the release. Consumers can get more information of service availability, pricing and features by calling 877-483-5898 or visiting verizon.com/superspeed.)

Bundled Services Bring It All Together for Customers

Verizon customers can bundle Verizon High Speed Internet service with a Verizon Freedom calling plan and all-digital DIRECTV service, giving them unlimited calling, high-speed Internet access, and in-home video service for additional savings -- all on one bill from a name they trust. With ONE-BILL service, customers can even add their Verizon Wireless account to their bill for added convenience.

With Verizon Double Freedom, customers can choose Verizon's most popular unlimited calling plan, known as Verizon Freedom Essentials, and combine it with Verizon High Speed Internet service or with DIRECTV service billed through Verizon. Verizon Triple Freedom links a combination of the Freedom Essentials calling plan and Verizon High Speed Internet with DIRECTV service.

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 Enhanced Email: Expanded storage capacity -- up to 4 gigabytes -- lets customers store as much mail as they want for as long as they want on Verizon servers. Anywhere access -- from your mobile phone to your home e-mail account -- is easy, with select Get It Now-enabled phones from Verizon Wireless. Users may sign up for a complimentary rich Internet e-mail application to better organize their messages and contacts and send attachments of up to 25 megabytes. -- 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, 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.

Verizon's new 7 Mbps High Speed Internet service is now available in parts of the following communities: Angola, Guilderland, Baldwinsville, Cambridge, Catskill, Commack, Congers, Edmeston, Farmingdale, Fayetteville, Fishkill, Greeneville, Kingston, Lindenhurst, Liverpool, Latham, Lockport, Lynbrook, Mahopac, Manhasset, Massapequa, Mount Kisco, Niagara Falls, Newfane, North Syracuse, Newburgh, Orchard Park, Oyster Bay, Patchogue, Poughkeepsie, Spakenkill, Pleasantville, Port Jefferson, Port Washington, Rome, Ronkonkoma, Selden, Schenectady, Smithtown, Spring Valley, Syracuse, Woodmere, West Seneca, and Yorktown; and in the following sections of New York City -- Lower Manhattan, Williamsburg, Bayside, Belle Harbor, Far Rockaway and New Dorp.

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 more than 67 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 employed a diverse workforce of approximately 232,000 as of the end of the first quarter 2008 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.