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RICHMOND, Va. - Beginning May 1, tens of thousands of telephone customers in Hampton Roads will be able to make local calls to a wider area when Verizon eliminates toll and other usage charges on calls to some neighboring telephone exchanges.
"We promised that the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE would bring real and lasting benefits to Virginians," said Robert Woltz, president of Verizon Virginia. "Our customers in communities all across the state are now beginning to enjoy those benefits."
Bell Atlantic and GTE, which merged last summer to become Verizon, agreed to expand local calling areas between contiguous exchanges after the completion of the merger. That practice, which Bell Atlantic launched in 1994, eventually will benefit over a million Verizon customers statewide.
The expansion of local calling on May 1 in southeast Virginia will affect customers in exchanges served by the former Bell Atlantic:
Cape Charles - Expands to include Great Bridge, Hickory and Princess Anne.
Hampton, Newport News, Peninsula and Poquoson - All four exchanges expand to include Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Great Bridge, Hickory, Princess Anne, Smithfield, Surry and Windsor.
Norfolk/Virginia Beach - Expands to include Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Franklin, Holland, Smithfield and Windsor.
Portsmouth - Expands to include Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Franklin, Holland, Smithfield, and Windsor.
Suffolk - Expands to include Crittenden, Franklin, Great Bridge, Hickory, Princess Anne, Smithfield and Windsor.
Toano - Expands to include Claremont, Smithfield and Surry.
Whaleyville - Expands to include Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Franklin, Great Bridge, Hickory, Princess Anne, Smithfield and Windsor.
Williamsburg - Expands to include Claremont, Smithfield and Surry.
More Expansion of Local Calling Slated for June 5
On June 5, customers in southeast Virginia exchanges served by the former GTE also will enjoy expanded local calling.
Those exchanges are:
Boykins - Local calling area to be expanded to include Courtland and Franklin exchanges.
Chuckatuck - Expanded to include Franklin, Great Bridge, Hampton, Hickory, Holland, Newport News, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Peninsula, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Princess Anne.
Claremont - Expanded to include Dendron, Surry, Toano and Williamsburg.
Courtland - Expanded to include Boykins, Holland, Ivor and Wakefield.
Crittenden - Expanded to include Franklin, Great Bridge, Hampton, Hickory, Holland, Newport News, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Peninsula, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Princess Anne, Suffolk, Whaleyville and Windsor.
Dendron - Expanded to include Claremont, Smithfield and Wakefield.
Franklin - Expanded to include Boykins, Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Great Bridge, Hickory, Holland, Ivor, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Princess Anne, Smithfield, Suffolk, Wakefield, Whaleyville and Windsor.
Great Bridge - Expanded to include Cape Charles, Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Franklin, Hampton, Holland, Newport News, Peninsula, Poquoson, Smithfield, Suffolk, Whaleyville and Windsor.
Hickory - Expanded to include Cape Charles, Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Franklin, Hampton, Holland, Newport News, Peninsula, Poquoson, Smithfield, Suffolk, Whaleyville and Windsor.
Holland - Expanded to include Chuckatuck, Courtland, Crittenden, Franklin, Great Bridge, Hickory, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Princess Anne and Windsor.
Ivor - Expanded to include Courtland, Franklin, Smithfield, Wakefield and Windsor.
Princess Anne - Expanded to include Cape Charles, Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Franklin, Hampton, Holland, Newport News, Peninsula, Poquoson, Smithfield, Suffolk, Whaleyville and Windsor.
Smithfield - Expanded to include Chuckatuck, Dendron, Franklin, Great Bridge, Hampton, Hickory, Ivor, Newport News, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Peninsula, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Princess Anne, Suffolk, Surry, Toano, Wakefield, Whaleyville, Williamsburg and Windsor.
Surry - Expanded to include Claremont, Hampton, Newport News, Peninsula, Poquoson, Smithfield, Toano and Williamsburg.
Wakefield - Expanded to include Courtland, Dendron, Franklin, Ivor and Smithfield.
Windsor - Expanded to include Chuckatuck, Crittenden, Franklin, Great Bridge, Hampton, Hickory, Holland, Ivor, Newport News, Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Peninsula, Poquoson, Portsmouth, Princess Anne, Smithfield, Suffolk and Whaleyville.
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 nearly 109 million access line equivalents and more than 27.5 million wireless customers. Verizon is also the world's largest provider of print and online directory information. A Fortune 10 company with approximately 260,000 employees and more than $63 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.