Verizon Named Presenting Sponsor of Merriweather Post Pavilion's Summer 2006 Concert Series

COLUMBIA, Md. - Music fans can catch more than the latest acts this summer at Merriweather Post Pavilion here: They'll also be able to experience the hottest broadband and video products on the market - Verizon FiOS services.

Verizon has signed a contract with Merriweather Post Pavilion to be the presenting sponsor of this year's Summer Concert Series, which begins April 22.

As part of the agreement, Verizon will demonstrate and take orders for its new, fiber-optic FiOS TV and FiOS Internet Service at Merriweather events. The Verizon name also will be included in signage and advertising for Merriweather's Summer Concert Series.

"We are extremely pleased to partner with Verizon, a company clearly on the leading edge of technology," said Jean Parker, general manager of Merriweather Post Pavilion. "With Merriweather located right in the heart of FiOS TV territory, this is the right fit at the right time."

In March, Verizon unveiled FiOS TV to approximately 11,000 Howard County residents in Clarksville, Columbia and Ellicott City - the first communities in the state to receive the all-digital, fiber-based video service. The company plans to expand FiOS TV availability to other Maryland communities as it obtains necessary local cable franchises.

"This is not cable TV. This is not satellite. This is FiOS TV," said Mary Ellen Payne, Verizon's vice president of marketing and sales in the Potomac Region. "Verizon has harnessed the speed and capacity of fiber-optic technology to create a revolutionary, new communications and entertainment experience. And we'll showcase FiOS at the region's premier entertainment venue."

Verizon, the only company building a large-scale, all-digital fiber-optic communications network directly to customers, launched FiOS TV in Keller, Texas, last September. In addition to Maryland and Texas, the company now offers the service in parts of Northern Virginia, as well as California, Florida, Massachusetts and New York.

Delivered over Verizon's fiber-to-the-premises network, FiOS TV is designed to be a formidable competitor to cable and satellite. The Verizon all-fiber network is currently under construction in more than half the states where the company offers landline communications services, including numerous Maryland communities in Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

The network brings the power and capacity of fiber optics directly into people's homes and has industry-leading quality and reliability. Fiber delivers amazingly sharp pictures and sound, and has the capacity to transmit a wide array of high-definition programming that is so clear and intense it seems to leap from the TV screen. It also delivers Internet download speeds of up to 30 Mbps (megabits per second) and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps as well as high-quality voice services.*

*Note: Actual (throughput) speeds will vary.

About Merriweather Post Pavilion:
Merriweather Post Pavilion - with its natural, outdoor concert setting - has hosted a diverse range of artists and events, offering the area's absolute best in contemporary entertainment for over 35 years. Conveniently located in the Baltimore/Washington corridor off Route 29 in Columbia, Merriweather is nestled within the 40 preserved acres known as Symphony Woods. This year's Summer Concert Series kicks off April 22 with a performance by Black Eyed Peas. For more information, visit www.merriweathermusic.com.

About Verizon:
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), a Dow 30 company, is a leader in delivering broadband and other communication innovations to wireline and wireless customers. Verizon operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving 51.3 million customers nationwide; one of the most expansive wholly-owned global IP networks; and one of the nation's premier wireline networks, serving home, business and wholesale customers. Based in New York, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 250,000 and generates annual consolidated operating revenues of approximately $90 billion. For more information, visit
www.verizon.com.

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