Verizon Workers, Services Help Reduce Gridlock, Pollution In Federal 'eCommute' Program

WASHINGTON -- Thirty-five Verizon Communications employees are doing their part to help reduce congestion and pollution in the bustling Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. And while Verizon's telecommunications services are helping them stay off the Beltway and Schuykill Expressway, the same links can help clear the air and the roadways elsewhere, too.

During the month of March, the Verizon employees, participants in a unique federal pilot program called eCommute, have:

• Driven 10,727 fewer miles on days they worked from home;

• Saved 402 commuting hours;

• Spared the skies above Philadelphia and Washington 5,800 pounds of pollutants such as carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons.

The eCommute program, which is administered by the National Environmental Policy Institute, aims to reduce vehicle trips and mobile emissions through teleworking. Verizon and other businesses and government agencies are participating in the pilot program.

Emissions savings nationally in programs like eCommute really add up: If 10 percent of the nation's workforce teleworked one day a week, the annual pollutant savings would add up to 12,963 tons.

"The eCommute program is a prime example of Verizon's corporate commitment to the environment," said Patricia A. Yancey, Verizon manager, work/life strategies. "We have a long-standing sensitivity to energy and pollution issues, which is why Verizon received the Environmental Protection Agency's top recognition, the Energy Star award.

"We also believe in the benefits of teleworking. It's a crucial component of our company's overall work/life program. Teleworking is helping our employees, our bottom line and the communities we serve," Yancey said.

Robust telecommunications capabilities are essential to any effective telework arrangement, and Verizon offers a variety of services for a broad spectrum of teleworkers. For many, the simple, cost-effective addition of an extra phone line will allow them to link their computers to their employer's local area network, fax, exchange e-mail and surf the Internet while being free to talk on their other line.

Teleworkers who need to download and share large files, quickly access a multitude of Web sites and keep an open connection to the Internet can benefit from Verizon's Virtual Office Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) service. This high-speed Internet access offers significantly faster downstream speeds ranging from 768 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps, which eliminate the frustration of long waits to download documents or access Web sites.

Teleworkers can obtain the highest speeds and connectivity through Verizon's Virtual Office Solutions (VOS) products that give companies cost-effective means to connect employees to corporate intranets, extranets and the Internet. The host company manages and pays for the connections, avoiding bill-backs and vouchers. VOS remote location phone services and computer connections are scalable to support any size organization and use one of the industry's fastest and most rigorously engineered nationwide backbone networks. VOS services are available through Verizon's Enterprise Solutions Group.

Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) 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 132.1 million access line equivalents and 29.4 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and approximately 247,000 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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