Verizon to Offer Extended Area Service Plan In 44 Illinois Exchanges Beginning May 20

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Verizon North customers in 44 additional Illinois exchanges can now take advantage of a local calling plan that can save them money while giving them larger local calling areas.

The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) has approved the expanded area service plan which will result in changes in the way some calls are dialed.

Under the extended area calling plan, Verizon North customers can call additional nearby communities without paying long-distance charges and by dialing just seven digits, instead of the 1 + 10 digits they previously dialed. (Note: A list of new local calling areas for customers in these exchanges follows this release.)

"We continue to enhance the value of our service," said James R. Hargrave, Verizon assistant vice president - public policy and external affairs for Illinois. "Our new calling plan provides more rate options for our customers and delivers lower-priced calling alternatives."

The new plan allows residential and business customers to call all communities within the same market service area (MSA) and a 15-mile radius of their own exchange without paying toll charges. All such calls are considered local.

With the plan, customers dial seven digits to reach other numbers within their area code and MSA or 10 digits (area code + telephone number) to reach numbers in all other area codes. Customers who select this plan will need to reprogram fax machines, PBXs, key systems, computers that dial numbers for Internet access, medical alarms or Custom Calling features.

Verizon will expand the calling plan to its customers in the following exchanges: Arrowsmith, Atlanta, Bellflower, Bloomington (including Normal), Cabery, Campus, Carlock, Chatsworth, Chenoa, Clinton, Colfax, Cropsey, Downs, Elkhart, Ellsworth, Emington, Fairbury, Farmer City, Grand Ridge, Heyworth, Hudson, Kenney, LeRoy, Lexington, Lincoln, Long Point, Lostant, Magnolia, McLean, Middleton/New Holland, Minier, Odell, Piper City, Pontiac, Reddick, Rutland, Saybrook, Stanford, Strawn, Streator, Toluca, Waynesville, Weldon and Wenona.

The extended calling plan already is available to Verizon North customers in 96 other exchanges across the state. The company plans to request permission to make the plan available to all Verizon North customers in the state over the next year.

Under the new calling plan, local calls to additional nearby communities would be priced at current, local Usage Sensitive Service rates.

Usage Sensitive Service has a $17.09 monthly fee ($16.09 for Bloomington/Normal), plus a call-connection charge of 3 cents per call and a 1.8-cents-per-minute calling charge. Costs for calls within the home exchange will remain the same; residential customers currently pay 3.4 cents per call, with no per-minute calling charges. Business customers currently pay a
call-connection charge of 1.88 cents and a 0.93-cents-per-minute calling charge. These charges are discounted 50 percent on weekends, holidays and from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekdays.

Under the extended calling area plan, residential customers can also select the
11-cents-per-call option. Under this option, they pay a $17.09 monthly fee ($16.09 for Bloomington/Normal) plus a flat, 11-cents-per-call charge with no per-minute charge for calls to nearby communities. Calls within the home exchange will remain priced at 3.4 cents each, with no per-minute calling charges. These charges also are discounted 50 percent on weekends, holidays and from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. on weekdays.

Starting May 21, residential customers may enroll in the 11-cents-per-call option by calling Verizon at 1-800-483-4000, Monday through Saturday.

Since GTE and Bell Atlantic merged to become Verizon last June, the company has reduced its local rates in Illinois by more than $10 million. In addition, the company is investing $270 million over three years in its existing telecommunications infrastructure in Illinois.

Verizon Communications

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 112 million access line equivalents and 27 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. A Fortune 10 company with approximately 260,000 employees and more than $65 billion in annual revenues, Verizon's global presence extends to 40 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

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New Local Calling Areas
Extended Area Service Calling Plan

The listed towns identify telephone exchanges included in Verizon's new calling plan. Because an "exchange" can include more than one community, customers with telephone prefixes on this chart are included in the offering. New calling areas are in bold type.

Calls from the Arrowsmith exchange (309) 727: Bellflower, Colfax, Cooksville, Cropsey, Downs, Ellsworth, Farmer City, LeRoy, Lexington and Saybrook.

Calls from the Atlanta exchange (217) 648: Beason, Emden, Hartsburg, Heyworth, Kenney, Lincoln, McLean, Minier, Stanford and Waynesville.

Calls from the Bellflower exchange (309) 722: Arrowsmith, Ellsworth, Farmer City, LeRoy and Saybrook.

Calls from the Bloomington (including Normal) exchange (309) 438, 451, 452, 454, 556, 557, 661, 662, 663, 664, 820, 821, 823, 827, 828, 829, 862, 888: Carlock, Cooksville, Danvers, Downs, Ellsworth, Heyworth, Hudson, McLean, Stanford and Towanda.

Calls from the Cabery exchange (815) 949: Campus, Cullom, Emington, Kempton, Reddick and Saunemin.

Calls from the Campus exchange (815) 567: Cabery, Cullom, Emington, Kempton, Odell, Reddick and Saunemin.

Calls from the Carlock exchange (309) 376: Bloomington, Danvers, El Paso, Hudson, Minier, Stanford and Towanda.

Calls from the Chatsworth exchange (815) 635: Cropsey, Cullom, Fairbury, Forrest, Kempton, Piper City, Saunemin and Strawn.

Calls from the Chenoa exchange (815) 945: Colfax, Cooksville, Fairbury, Flanagan, Graymont, Gridley, Lexington and Pontiac.

Calls from the Clinton exchange (217) 935, 937: Beason, Heyworth, Kenney, Waynesville and Weldon.

Calls from the Colfax exchange (309) 723: Arrowsmith, Chenoa, Colfax, Cooksville, Cropsey, Ellsworth, Fairbury, Lexington, Saybrook, Strawn and Towanda.

Calls from the Cropsey exchange (309) 377: Arrowsmith, Chatsworth, Colfax, Cooksville, Fairbury, Forrest, Saybrook and Strawn.

Calls from the Downs exchange (309) 378: Arrowsmith, Bloomington, Cooksville, Ellsworth, Heyworth, LeRoy and Towanda.

Calls from the Elkhart exchange (217) 947: Lincoln and Middleton/New Holland.

Calls from the Ellsworth exchange (309) 724: Arrowsmith, Bellflower, Bloomington, Colfax, Cooksville, Downs, Farmer City, LeRoy, Lexington, Saybrook and Towanda.

Calls from the Emington exchange (815) 934: Cabery, Campus, Cullom, Kempton, Odell, Reddick and Saunemin.

Calls from the Fairbury exchange (815) 692: Chatsworth, Chenoa, Colfax, Cropsey, Forrest, Pontiac, Saunemin and Strawn.

Calls from the Farmer City exchange (309) 928: Arrowsmith, Bellflower, Ellsworth, LeRoy, Saybrook and Weldon.

Calls from the Grand Ridge exchange (815) 249: Leonore, Lostant, Ottawa, Ransom and Streator.

Calls from the Heyworth exchange (309) 473: Atlanta, Bloomington, Clinton, Downs, LeRoy, McLean and Waynesville.

Calls from the Hudson exchange (309) 726: Bloomington, Carlock, Cooksville, Danvers, El Paso, Gridley, Lexington and Towanda.

Calls from the Kenney exchange (217) 944: Atlanta, Beason, Clinton, Lincoln and Waynesville.

Calls from the LeRoy exchange (309) 962: Arrowsmith, Bellflower, Cooksville, Downs, Ellsworth, Farmer City, Heyworth and Saybrook.

Calls from the Lexington exchange (309) 365: Arrowsmith, Chenoa, Colfax, Cooksville, El Paso, Ellsworth, Gridley, Hudson and Towanda.

Calls from the Lincoln exchange (217) 732, 735: Atlanta, Beason, Elkhart, Emden, Hartsburg, Kenney, Middletown/New Holland, and Waynesville.

Calls from the Long Point exchange (815) 854: Cornell, Flanagan, Graymont, Leonore, Lostant, Rutland, Streator, Toluca and Wenona.

Calls from the Lostant exchange (815) 368: Grand Ridge, Leonore, Long Point, Magnolia, Rutland, Streator, Toluca, Tonica and Wenona.

Calls from the Magnolia exchange (815) 869: Leonore, Lostant, McNabb, Rutland, Toluca, Varna and Wenona.

Calls from the McLean exchange (309) 874: Atlanta, Beason, Bloomington, Danvers, Hartsburg, Heyworth, Minier, Stanford and Waynesville.

Calls from the Middleton/New Holland exchange (217) 445: Elkhart, Emden, Hartsburg and Lincoln.

Calls from the Minier exchange (309) 392: Atlanta, Carlock, Danvers, Emden, Hartsburg, McLean, Mackinaw and Stanford.

Calls from the Odell exchange (815) 998: Campus, Cornell, Emington, Pontiac, Ransom and Saunemin.

Calls from the Piper City exchange (815) 686: Chatsworth, Cullom, Forrest, Kempton, Saunemin and Strawn.

Calls from the Pontiac exchange (815) 842, 844: Chenoa, Cornell, Fairbury, Flanagan, Forrest, Graymont, Odell and Saunemin.

Calls from the Reddick exchange (815) 365: Cabery, Campus, Emington and Kempton.

Calls from the Rutland exchange (815) 863: Flanagan, Leonore, Long Point, Lostant, Magnolia, Minonk, Streator, Toluca and Wenona.

Calls from the Saybrook exchange (309) 475: Arrowsmith, Bellflower, Colfax, Cooksville, Cropsey, Ellsworth, Farmer City, LeRoy and Saybrook.

Calls from the Stanford exchange (309) 379: Atlanta, Bloomington, Carlock, Danvers, McLean, Minier and Waynesville.

Calls from the Strawn exchange (815) 688: Chatsworth, Colfax, Cropsey, Fairbury, Forrest and Piper City.

Calls from the Streator exchange (815) 672, 673: Cornell, Grand Ridge, Leonore, Long Point, Lostant, Ransom, Rutland and Wenona.

Calls from the Toluca exchange (815) 452: La Rose, Leonore, Long Point, Lostant, Magnolia, Rutland, Varna and Wenona.

Calls from the Waynesville exchange (217) 949: Atlanta, Beason, Clinton, Heyworth, Kenney, Lincoln, McLean and Stanford.

Calls from the Weldon exchange (217) 736: Clinton and Farmer City.

Calls from the Wenona exchange (815) 853: Leonore, Long Point, Lostant, Magnolia, Rutland, Streator and Toluca.

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