Bell Atlantic Leads Effort to Wire Delaware Classrooms to the Internet

Bell Atlantic Leads Effort to Wire Delaware Classrooms to
the Internet

NetDay 96 Initiative Connects 400 Classrooms to the
Information Superhighway

October 28, 1996

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Thousands of Delaware public,
parochial and
private school students can now tap the global resources of the
Internet without leaving their classrooms, thanks to a grass roots,
volunteer project, NetDay 96 Delaware, held Saturday, Oct. 26. Bell
Atlantic-Delaware and Bell Atlantic
Network Integration, Inc. were
lead corporate sponsors of the statewide effort to wire schools to the
Internet.

Hundreds of volunteers, including Bell Atlantic employees and
retirees, spent the day stringing wire and installing jacks and other
equipment at approximately 70 schools participating in the project.

In addition, Bell Atlantic donated wiring kits to connect six
classrooms to the Internet at each school. Company employees also
helped organize the event and provided logistical support to ensure
the success of the event.

"The impact of NetDay 96 will be felt for years to come. By wiring
Delaware's classrooms, we're giving our youngsters access to the
technology and information that are so essential to their futures,"
said Joshua W. Martin
III, president and CEO of Bell Atlantic-Delaware.

"Bell Atlantic's commitment to NetDay 96 Delaware is part of our
continuing effort to improve the quality of education in our state. We
believe it's important that all Delaware students have equal access to
the information superhighway. NetDay is a major step toward this goal."

Martin was among the Bell Atlantic employees who helped wire
classrooms on NetDay 96, joining Gov. Thomas R. Carper and other
corporate and community volunteers at the Brandywood Elementary School
in north Wilmington.

"If we are committed to preparing our children for success in the
21st
century and beyond, we must ensure that they are able to tap the
extraordinary power of technology in a modern age," said Governor
Thomas
R. Carper. "I am pleased to join Bell Atlantic-Delaware in
participating in NetDay 96, as evidence of this administration's
commitment to getting quality technology and related lesson plans into
every classroom of our state."

Bell Atlantic-Delaware underwrites many educational programs in
Delaware, including the funding for Charter School in Wilmington,
Internet and distance learning training for more than 70 Delaware
teachers and expansion of Bell Atlantic's distance learning network.
In addition, current and former Bell Atlantic employees have spent
countless hours in volunteer programs such as mentoring, tutoring and
creating playground maps at Delaware schools.

Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE:
BEL) is at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local
telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the
largest investors in the high-growth wireless communication
marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in
Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing
high-growth national and international business opportunities in all
phases of the industry.

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