Peter Davidson Joins Verizon as Senior Vice President for Federal Government Relations

WASHINGTON -- Peter Davidson has joined Verizon as senior vice president - Federal Government Relations for Verizon. Davidson, who will assume his new duties immediately, will be responsible for federal legislative policy matters affecting Verizon's interests and for the company's relations with Congress and the Bush administration. He also will serve as deputy general counsel, with responsibility for international regulatory and international legal policy matters.

"Peter brings to Verizon outstanding credentials and expertise in the telecommunications policy arena, with a wealth of experience and credibility in the industry, on the Hill and with the executive branch," said Tom Tauke, Verizon senior vice president for Public Policy & External Affairs.

Before joining Verizon, Davidson served as general counsel assisting the United States Trade Representative in negotiating and implementing trade agreements and supervising litigation at the World Trade Organization.

Prior to becoming general counsel to the USTR in Feb. 2001, Davidson was vice president for Congressional Affairs at Qwest, coordinating all federal legislative activities for that company.

From January 1995 until June 1999, Mr. Davidson served as the general counsel and policy director to the majority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dick Armey. In this capacity, he advised Armey on a broad range of legal matters and led Armey's legislative planning team in charge of developing leadership priorities, working with committees, and negotiating with the Senate and the White House.

Davidson also served as general counsel and policy director for the House Republican Conference and as attorney-advisor in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel. Before that, he was law clerk to Judge John Porfilio on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, Colo.

He is a 1984 graduate of Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., and received his J.D. degree in 1990 from the University of Virginia.

Davidson is a native of Minnesota and now resides in Virginia with his wife, Kari. They have three children, Madeleine, Sophie and Björn.

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 135.8 million access line equivalents and 32.5 million Verizon Wireless customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With more than $67 billion in annual revenues and 229,500 employees, Verizon's global presence extends to more than 30 countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit www.verizon.com.

####