Bell Atlantic Employees Support Kosovo Humanitarian Relief Efforts

Bell Atlantic Employees Support Kosovo Humanitarian Relief Efforts

Company's Foundation Establishes Matching Gifts Program for Employees

April 12, 1999

NEW YORK -- The Bell Atlantic Foundation has established a matching
gift program for employees who wish to donate funds to aid the refugees
from Kosovo.

Dollar for dollar matches of up to $2,500 per individual will be made
through May for every employee check made out to either AmeriCares,
Doctors Without Borders or the International Rescue Committee,
according to Suzanne DuBose, president of the Bell Atlantic Foundation.
In addition, the foundation will make a direct grant of $50,000 for relief
efforts.

"Bell Atlantic employees have expressed their strong desire to support the
refugees in the Balkans in this terrible time of crisis, and the Foundation is
responding," said DuBose. "As our company expands to become a leader
in global markets, our employees are also extending their reach to support
international communities."

David Thistle, chairman of the Bell Atlantic Veterans Advisory Board, an
employee resource group helping to spearhead the company's efforts, said:
"On behalf of the thousands of veterans at Bell Atlantic, we are proud to
see our company and our fellow employees taking a leadership role in
aiding the victims of war."

AmeriCares is providing medical supplies and emergency medicines, as
well as food and clothing to the people fleeing war-torn Kosovo. Doctors
Without Borders is providing emergency medical care in the refugee
camps. And the International Rescue Committee is assisting in the relief
and resettlement of refugees in safe havens.

The Bell Atlantic Foundation supports a variety of projects domestically
and internationally, with an emphasis on new technology applications in
education, health and human services, the arts and humanities, and civic
development in the communities served by Bell Atlantic. For more
information, visit www.bellatlanticfoundation.com on the Internet.

Bell Atlantic is at the forefront of the new communications and
information industry. With more than 42 million telephone access lines
and 8.6 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.