Verizon Communications Inc

Verizon Communications Inc. said that President Lawrence Babbio would retire by the end of the first quarter. Babbio, 62, has been with Verizon and its predecessor companies for 41 years. He is responsible for Verizon Telecom and Verizon Business, two of its main networking businesses.

Verizon Communications Inc. said that President Lawrence Babbio would retire by the end of the first quarter. Babbio, 62, has been with Verizon and its predecessor companies for 41 years. He is responsible for Verizon Telecom and Verizon Business, two of its main networking businesses.

Verizon Communications Inc. was ordered to run separate units for wholesale and individual customers in Pennsylvania, a move that spares the largest local U.S. phone company from a costly breakup. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission adopted a plan letting Verizon remain intact in exchange for treating rivals leasing its lines the same way it treats its own retail business. If the company rejects the order, a full breakup might be required, the agency said.

Verizon Communications Inc. reported second-quarter profit in line with expectations Monday but cut its forecast for the full year because businesses are ordering fewer phone lines amid a slowing economy. The nation's largest telephone company now expects per-share earnings of $3.07 to $3.12 for fiscal 2001, less than the $3.13 to $3.17 it forecast earlier, spokesman Peter Thonis said. Sales are expected to grow about 5% to 6%, down from the 7% growth forecast in April.

The Justice Department said it has lingering doubts that Verizon Communications Inc. has met the federal requirements to provide long-distance telephone service to local customers in Massachusetts. The antitrust authority urged the Federal Communications Commission, which will have final say on Verizon's application, to weigh the full record when ruling on the application.

Verizon Communications Inc. said it expects to cut the equivalent of 10,000 jobs this year, mostly by not filling vacancies and cutting overtime and the use of contractors. But some layoffs are possible at the nation's largest local phone company. The reduction in Verizon's core phone operations is part of an ongoing effort to cut positions duplicated by last year's purchase of GTE and meet the cost-savings goals made possible by that merger, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Verizon Communications Inc. reported second-quarter profit in line with expectations Monday but cut its forecast for the full year because businesses are ordering fewer phone lines amid a slowing economy. The nation's largest telephone company now expects per-share earnings of $3.07 to $3.12 for fiscal 2001, less than the $3.13 to $3.17 it forecast earlier, spokesman Peter Thonis said. Sales are expected to grow about 5% to 6%, down from the 7% growth forecast in April.

More than three years after introducing the nation's first all-in-one phone plans, a unit of Verizon Communications is pulling the plug on the offering, forcing 370,000 consumers nationwide to switch their local and long-distance service to less attractive options. The plans, which offered local and long-distance phone service for a flat monthly fee, were originally touted as a groundbreaking effort to simplify phone service and spur competition in local markets.

When it comes to choosing broadband Internet providers, you can't always get what you want. But with certain limitations, you can get what you need. If you use the Internet regularly, chances are you already have broadband -- that is, a high-speed hookup, usually through your cable television provider or phone company. But are you getting it at the right speed and right price? There are more choices than ever, even though you typically have to go with a provider that serves your neighborhood.

SACRAMENTO - A coalition led by AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. is backing legislation that critics contend would strip the state Public Utilities Commission of its last vestige of regulatory power over basic land-line telephone service. The bill, authored by the powerful chairmen of the Senate and Assembly committees overseeing utilities, would ensure that state agencies have "no regulatory jurisdiction or control" over telephone calls that involve sending voice signals over the Internet.

Verizon Communications Inc. was ordered to run separate units for wholesale and individual customers in Pennsylvania, a move that spares the largest local U.S. phone company from a costly breakup. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission adopted a plan letting Verizon remain intact in exchange for treating rivals leasing its lines the same way it treats its own retail business. If the company rejects the order, a full breakup might be required, the agency said.

More than three years after introducing the nation's first all-in-one phone plans, a unit of Verizon Communications is pulling the plug on the offering, forcing 370,000 consumers nationwide to switch their local and long-distance service to less attractive options. The plans, which offered local and long-distance phone service for a flat monthly fee, were originally touted as a groundbreaking effort to simplify phone service and spur competition in local markets.

The Justice Department said it has lingering doubts that Verizon Communications Inc. has met the federal requirements to provide long-distance telephone service to local customers in Massachusetts. The antitrust authority urged the Federal Communications Commission, which will have final say on Verizon's application, to weigh the full record when ruling on the application.

Verizon Communications Inc. said it expects to cut the equivalent of 10,000 jobs this year, mostly by not filling vacancies and cutting overtime and the use of contractors. But some layoffs are possible at the nation's largest local phone company. The reduction in Verizon's core phone operations is part of an ongoing effort to cut positions duplicated by last year's purchase of GTE and meet the cost-savings goals made possible by that merger, a spokesman said Wednesday.

When it comes to high-speed Internet access, are you getting what you pay for? Venice resident Mike Mlikotin wanted to know what he was really being offered after Verizon Communications Inc. included a pitch for its broadband service in his most recent phone bill. It said that Mlikotin, 75, could lock in a lifetime rate of as low as $19.99 a month for an online speed of up to 1 megabit per second -- not the fastest clip you'll find on the Net, but plenty fast for most people.

Verizon Communications Inc. and other large U.S. telephone companies told federal regulators they oppose most new rules being developed to limit "slamming," or unauthorized switches of a customer's phone carrier. The Federal Communications Commission's proposed guidelines requiring more stringent verification of requests to change phone service providers would confuse consumers and add costs, Verizon, SBC Communications Inc., AT&T Corp. and rivals said in comments filed with the FCC.