Verizon and The Telework Coalition Encourage Using the Power of Teleworking on Inauguration...

Verizon and The Telework Coalition Encourage Using the Power of Teleworking on
Inauguration Day

D.C. Metro Businesses Can Put Technology to Work to Stay Up and Running

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- With unprecedented travel and security
restrictions in place for the presidential Inauguration on Jan. 20, and
millions of expected attendees, Verizon is joining with The Telework Coalition
to encourage the use of teleworking technologies so that District-area
businesses and organizations can stay up and running.

"Many Washington-area companies will be closing their downtown offices on
Inauguration Day; but their businesses can continue without interruption,
through teleworking technologies that keep the virtual workplace in full
swing," said Nancy Gofus, senior vice president of business marketing with
Verizon. "Broadband communications tools, secure virtual private networks,
and audio, video and Web conferencing make work an event, not a place."

A broadband connection, a laptop or home PC, secure remote access into a
company's network, and a phone or voice-over-IP connection are the basic tools
needed for area workers to keep their businesses up and running. Security
solutions to protect company information and identities are also critical when
deploying an appropriate telework capability. Companies that have already
enabled teleworking capabilities for employees can put these tools into
action, rather than shutting down operations and risking lost productivity and
revenue.

For companies that do not yet have a telework policy or technological
capabilities in place for employees, now is the ideal time to begin
implementing a teleworking strategy, which can serve as a business lifeline
during planned events such as the Inauguration, or unforeseen natural or
manmade events and disasters.

Chuck Wilsker, CEO and president of The Telework Coalition and a fellow member
of the Digital Energy Solutions Campaign, said: "We are encouraging area
businesses that have teleworking technology in place to use it to their
advantage. All transportation routes throughout the region will be impacted
by the Inaugural activities. It could be as if we were hit by a human
hurricane."

Added Wilsker, "Telework is a win-win -- it helps businesses operate flexibly
while giving them a competitive advantage by enabling virtually
anytime/anyplace work for greater business productivity and energy
conservation resulting from reduced real estate and business travel."

Who fits the teleworker profile? The term teleworker is often misconstrued to
mean solely an employee who works from home. However, the term also applies to
employees who are based in the field -- at client sites, for example -- or who
work at employer-designated locations that are closer to their homes.

Verizon Powers Teleworking
Through a variety of access methods, Verizon can provide the connectivity for
workers to securely access corporate e-mail, files, collaboration tools and
other resources from locations other than a physical office. Among the access
methods are Verizon FiOS and DSL broadband connections; wireless data
connections through EVDO over the Verizon Wireless 3G network; IP virtual
private networks (VPN); satellite technology; and solutions that provide
direct access to Private IP, Verizon Business' global MPLS-based enterprise
application network.

And through Verizon's managed service offerings, customers have the assurance
that critical infrastructure is designed and monitored to provide reliable,
high-performance operations.

Verizon can also provide companies with professional services expertise to
tailor a teleworking strategy suited to a company's specifications and needs.
In addition, Verizon provides contact center solutions for at-home customer
service agents, as well as audio, video and Web conferencing solutions to
replace the need for business travel while speeding business decision-making
to help increase productivity.

To learn more about the key benefits, business drivers and challenges of
deploying a teleworking strategy, listen to a podcast by Nancy Gofus here:
http://www.verizonbusiness.com/about/news/podcasts/?urlid=129569

About Verizon Communications
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York, is a leader
in delivering broadband and other wireline and wireless communication
innovations to mass market, business, government and wholesale customers.
Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, serving
more than 80 million customers nationwide. Verizon's Wireline operations
include Verizon Business, which delivers innovative and seamless business
solutions to customers around the world, and Verizon Telecom, which brings
customers the benefits of converged communications, information and
entertainment services over the nation's most advanced fiber-optic network. A
Dow 30 company, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of more than 228,000 and
in 2007 generated consolidated operating revenues of $93.5 billion. For more
information, visit www.verizon.com.

About The Telework Coalition
Based in Washington, D.C., The Telework Coalition (http://www.TelCoa.org) is
nonprofit association bringing together a diverse array of organizations and
individuals with the common interest of promoting awareness and adoption of
existing and emerging telework and telecommuting applications. The Coalition's
mission is to "Enable and support the advancement of virtual, mobile and
distributed work through research, education, technology and legislation."

VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and
biographies, media contacts, high-quality video and images, and other
information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at
www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News
Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news
releases.

SOURCE Verizon

Maria Montenegro of Verizon, +1-703-886-6063, maria.montenegro@verizon.com