Hiring Continues for New Consumer Sales Consultants at Verizon to Meet Increased Consumer Demand in Florida for Company's Broadband Products

TAMPA, Fla. - As consumer demand for both Verizon DSL and FiOS Internet and TV service in the Tampa Bay region continues to increase, Verizon is seeking 40 new consumer sales consultants for its downtown sales center on Zack Street.

The company began hiring 100 sales consultants earlier this year and recently added 14 additional positions, bringing the total to 114.  Seventy-four of those positions have been filled, leaving 40 still available.

Consumers in the region continue to drive broadband sales for both DSL and FiOS Internet and TV.  Verizon recently announced several new price promotions for its service, including a 12-month price of just $14.99 a month for DSL connection speeds up to 768 Kbps (kilobits per second), whether they subscribe online, call a Verizon service representative or purchase through one of Verizon's retail partners.  Or, they can choose a higher-speed service of up to 3 Mbps (megabits per second) for an introductory price of $19.99 a month for the first six months when ordered online with an annual service plan.  Additionally, Verizon is offering the fastest FiOS Internet bundles available in the market, for prices ranging from $69.99 for a 20/5 Mbps double play bundle (Internet and unlimited voice) to $109.99 for a 20/5 Mbps triple play offer (Internet, digital TV and unlimited voice).

The 40 additional consultants at the Zack Street sales center will help the company keep pace with consumer demand for Verizon services.  Salaries for the positions range from $10-$16 per hour based on relevant sales experience.   The sales consultants will also have the potential to earn significant monthly bonuses based on sales incentives, and they will receive benefits including medical and dental coverage, 401(k) savings plan, tuition reimbursement and vacation. 

Successful applicants will also sell other popular Verizon services, such as basic voice offerings, FiOS TV, Freedom calling plans and DIRECTV packages, among others.  Interested job applicants can go to www.verizon.com/careers and click on "Search All Job Openings Now" and then select the location "US-FL Statewide."  Once an applicant has applied for a position,   he or she can schedule testing online.

"The Tampa Bay area is an excellent market for the broadband and TV products Verizon offers," said John Ferrell, Verizon's senior vice president and general manager for the Southeast region.  "Further, consumers who participated in the American Consumer Satisfaction Index ranked Verizon's landline reliability No.1 in the country, proving that consumers recognize the superior quality of the Verizon network and have started to lose some of their confidence in the cable phone fad."

At the end of the first quarter of this year, Verizon had 7.4 million broadband customers nationally, including 864,000 FiOS Internet customers.  Additionally, the company reported 348,000 FiOS TV customers - up from 217,000 customers at the end of 2006 - and 618,000 DIRECTV customers.  The Florida market has the second highest penetration for FiOS TV adoption and the third highest penetration for FiOS Internet among the 10 states where FiOS TV is offered and 16 states where FiOS Internet is offered.  Currently, DSL service is available in nearly 85 percent of Verizon's Florida service territory.  Verizon's all-fiber network, which delivers FiOS services, is available to over 417,000 premises in the state, and it will be extended to a total of 685,000 single-family homes, multidwelling units and small businesses by year-end.  

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), 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 60.7 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 has a diverse workforce of more than 238,000 and last year generated consolidated operating revenues of more than $88 billion.  For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

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