Bell Atlantic Gives $11,000 to Fund for the Arts

Bell Atlantic Gives $11,000 to Fund for the Arts

Company Continues Long-time Leadership Role

April 14, 1999

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The Bell Atlantic Foundation today earmarked
$11,000 for Charleston's Fund for the Arts. The fund supports 12 non-
profit arts organizations throughout the Kanawha Valley.

"We're committed to continuing our long-standing leadership role as a
supporter of this very worthwhile organization," said Dennis Bone,
president and CEO of Bell Atlantic - West Virginia.

"Bell Atlantic and its employees share a common mission with the arts --
to communicate. The arts, however, take communications to a much
higher realm, reaching beyond our eyes and ears into our very souls," he
said.

Bone urged businesses and individuals in the Kanawha Valley to join Bell
Atlantic in its support of the Fund for the Arts. "Whether it's symphonic
performances or children's theater, the work it does enriches all our lives,"
he said.

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.