Bell Atlantic Web Pages For Customers with Disabilities Include Promotional Offers

Bell Atlantic Web Pages For Customers with
Disabilities
Include Promotional Offers

New 'AccessAbility' Pages Recap Services, Offer 'Save Like
Wild' Discounts

May 27, 1999

NEW YORK -- People with disabilities now have a single place
to look -- or listen -- for information about Bell Atlantic products and
services that will help them communicate more easily. The company's
new "AccessAbility" pages on the Bell Atlantic Web site offer
comprehensive advice about services, discounts and other key resources of
interest to the people with disabilities community.

"The web is a perfect vehicle for independent, barrier-free
communication between Bell Atlantic and its customers with
disabilities," said Bob Baublitz, market manager for Bell Atlantic's
Ethnic and Premium Markets.

"Our new web pages are designed to offer our customers with
disabilities a single source of key information about their telephone
service, in a format that can be interpreted by both the human eye and
assistive devices used by people who are vision impaired," Baublitz
said. "We'll post information about products and services that can
help people with disabilities communicate more easily. We'll list local
telecommunications relay service access numbers, we'll describe discounts
on telecommunications services that are available for people with specific
disabilities, and we will provide contact numbers that our customers with
disabilities can use to order new services, ask questions or report
troubles."

Soon, customers will also be able to place orders for services directly from
Bell Atlantic's "AccessAbility Pages."

The new pages feature special offers on services designed to meet the
needs of customers with specific communications requirements. The
promotions include discounts on equipment and free service connections
[see attachment].

The AccessAbility pages are a quick reference guide to the many ways
Bell Atlantic supports its customers with disabilities:

• Bills can be printed in Braille or in large type.

• Customers with physical, visual or reading disabilities can get free
  call completion services from directory assistance operators.

• Phone numbers that will be answered using telecommunications
  devices for the deaf -- or TTYs -- can be specially identified as "TTY
  numbers" in Bell Atlantic directories.

Baublitz's team has developed call service packages for four segments of
the people with disabilities community: vision, motion, hearing or speech
impairments.

For people with vision or motion impairments, packages that include
talking Caller ID boxes that announce the calling party's number, coupled
with Call Waiting and Home Voice Mail, create a versatile call-
management system.

For those with hearing or speech impairments who use TTYs, Caller ID
and Call Waiting can be coupled to facilitate call management. A
"flash" button on a special Caller ID box allows TTY users to
switch back and forth between an active call and a call that is waiting to be
answered. Another feature, Distinctive Ringing, is a boon to TTY users
who share a household with a voice telephone user. With Distinctive
Ringing, separate phone numbers can be assigned to ring differently on the
same line. Customers can publish one number for their TTY calls and a
second number for voice telephone calls.

"Bell Atlantic's misson is to be our customers' preferred source for
telecommunications products and services," Baublitz said.
"Our AccessAbility pages are designed to ensure that we provide
this group of important customers another means to learn about products,
services and matters of interest to them.

"We hope that special promotions like those we're offering under the
Summertime Save Like Wild campaign will encourage customers with
disabilities to visit -- and return to -- our AccessAbility pages."

The new web pages, which can be viewed under the "For Your
Home" section of Bell Atlantic's Web site, were produced by Circle
Interactive and Bell Atlantic Creative Services.

ATTACHMENT

People with Disabilities
Can 'Save Like Wild'

Customers who visit Bell Atlantic's new AccessAbility web pages can
save money on calling feature offerings of value to people with
disabilities that are part of Bell Atlantic's "Save Like Wild"
customer savings campaign, which runs through August 14.

Talking Caller ID: Talking Caller ID audibly announces the
telephone numbers of callers, letting you know who's calling without even
picking up the phone, so you can take calls right away or return them
when it's more convenient. Talking Caller ID equipment stores telephone
numbers, dates and times of calls even if callers hang up or don't leave
messages.

The service can be coupled with Call Waiting to let you know who's
calling when you're already on the line. Call Waiting Caller ID requires a
special display unit or telephone that works with both services.

Between now and August 14, first-time Caller ID customers who order
Talking Caller ID will receive a free Talking Caller ID box. Connection is
free, too. The monthly service cost varies by state.

TTY Caller ID: A TTY Caller ID unit attaches to a TTY device
or regular phone and displays the name and number of callers before the
call is answered. And Call Waiting Caller ID is also available so the
information about a second incoming call is displayed. New equipment
includes a flash button that lets TTY users switch back and forth between
two calls.

TTY users should ask service reps about Distinctive Ring service, which
can be used to let you know whether an incoming call is for the number
assigned to the TTY or the number assigned to the telephone.

During the Save Like Wild campaign, first-time Caller ID customers who
order TTY Caller ID will pay no connection charge and can get the TTY
Caller ID box free. Monthly Caller ID service costs vary by state.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of
the new communications and information industry. With 43 million
telephone access lines and nine million wireless customers worldwide,
Bell Atlantic companies are premier providers of advanced wireline voice
and data services, market leaders in wireless services and the world's
largest publishers of directory information. Bell Atlantic companies are
also among the world's largest investors in high-growth global
communications markets, with operations and investments in 23 countries.