Verizon Long Distance Site Receives Good Housekeeping Institute Web Certification

NEW YORK -- The Good Housekeeping Institute, known for 100 years for its product evaluations, has given its prestigious Web site certification to Verizon Long Distance's Web site, www.getsmarttouch.com.

Verizon Long Distance is the first telecommunications company to earn certification from Good Housekeeping. The designation signifies that Verizon Long Distance's SmartTouchsm Web site has met Good Housekeeping's strict standards for integrity and customer privacy.

"It's an honor to have the first telecommunications Web site certified by Good Housekeeping," said Maura Breen, group president, Verizon Long Distance. "We strive to provide the best service, and believe that standard must extend to our Web site as well. And protecting customer privacy is one of our core corporate values."

Web sites and products considered for certification by Good Housekeeping must be in good taste and consistent with the magazine's editorial philosophy.

"We found that Verizon's SmartTouch site met all our criteria, including a clearly defined privacy policy. Also, it was easy to use and provided useful plan information," said Donald Mays, technical director for the Good Housekeeping Institute.

Verizon's SmartTouch Web site enables consumers to go online and buy long-distance time in advance with their credit card or debit card by depositing money into their SmartTouch home phone line account. Since customers set their own spending level, they know exactly what they are spending for each long-distance call or they can log on to the Web site to see how much time they have in their account.

Verizon does not sell or disclose individually identifiable information obtained on-line about our visitors, to anyone outside of Verizon unless specifically authorized by the visitor, required by law, or disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of customers, employees or property. Verizon's complete privacy policy is available on all its Web sites.

Sites accepted for the Good Housekeeping program will be re-evaluated regularly by Good Housekeeping. More information about its Web site certification is available in every issue of the magazine and at www.gh-atyourservice.com/certificate/prog_info.html.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), formed by the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE, is one of the world's leading providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with more than 101 million access line equivalents and more than 26 million wireless customers. A Fortune 10 company with more than 260,000 employees and approximately $60 billion in 1999 revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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