BELL ATLANTIC CUSTOMERS SEE LOWER RATES FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 1996

BELL ATLANTIC CUSTOMERS SEE LOWER RATES
FOR SECOND
STRAIGHT YEAR

Regulatory Reform Bill Triggers Reductions in Some Basic Phone
Rates

Wilmington, DE -- For the second straight year, Bell
Atlantic
customers in Delaware will see lower rates for some basic services
because of adjustments the company is making under the
Telecommunications Technology Investment Act (TTIA).

Rate reductions of ten cents per month in business dial tone line
rates and three to four cents per month in residential local usage
rates are effective July 1, 1996, according to documents filed by Bell
Atlantic-Delaware with the state Public Service Commission. In
addition, installation charges for Bell Atlantic IQ Service features
will be eliminated, and the company will reduce the charge for
temporary suspension of residence phone service from $29.72 to $10.

"These rate reductions are another example of the benefits of the
modern regulatory framework that was enacted by the General
Assembly,"
said Joshua W. Martin III, president and CEO of Bell
Atlantic-Delaware. "When the TTIA was passed we said rates could be
lowered if inflation was held in check. We're keeping our promise to
make rate adjustments based on recent inflation figures."

The TTIA allows Bell Atlantic to move basic telephone rates up or down
based on the national inflation rate, minus a three percent
productivity offset.

Martin also said the company has kept its promise on capital
investment under the TTIA. He said the company has pumped $128
million into construction of advanced telecommunications network in
Delaware the last two years, 28 percent more than projected at this
stage of Bell Atlantic-Delaware's five year commitment under TTIA.

Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local
telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the
largest investors in the high-growth wireless communication
marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in
Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing
high-growth national and international business opportunities in all
phases of the industry.

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Media contact:

Ells Edwards, 302-576-5340
ellsworth.edwards@bell-atl.com