Verizon Communications

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"Verizon" redirects here. For its mobile network subsidiary, see Verizon Wireless.
For its fiber-optic residential service, see Verizon FiOS.
Verizon Communications, Inc.
Verizon 2015 logo -vector.svg
The current logo, in use since 2015
Formerly called
Bell Atlantic Corporation (19832000)
Type
Public
Traded as
NYSE: VZ
DJIA Component
S&P 100 Component
S&P 500 Component
Industry Telecommunications
Mass media
Predecessors American Telephone and Telegraph Company
Founded October 7, 1983; 34 years ago[1]
Headquarters 1095 Avenue of the Americas
New York City, New York, United States 10036[2]
Key people
Lowell McAdam (Chairman and CEO)
Products Cable television
Fixed-line
Mobile
Broadband,
Digital television
IPTV
Digital Media
Internet of things
Telematics
Revenue Decrease US$125.98 billion (2016)[3]
Operating income
Decrease US$27.05 billion (2016)[3]
Net income
Decrease US$13.12 billion (2016)[3]
Total assets Decrease US$244.18 billion (2016)[3]
Total equity Increase US$22.52 billion (2016)[3]
Number of employees
162,000 (2016)[3]
Divisions Verizon Global Operations
Oath[4][5][6][7]
Subsidiaries
Subsidiaries[show]
Website www.verizon.com
Verizon Communications (About this sound listen (helpinfo)) (/v?'ra?z?n/ v?-RY-z?
n), otherwise known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications
conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.[8] The
company is based at 1095 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, New York
City,[2] but is incorporated in Delaware.
When the Justice Department of the United States mandated AT&T Corporation to break
up the Bell System, one of the seven Baby Bells was Bell Atlantic, the original
name for Verizon.[9] Bell Atlantic came into existence in 1984 with a footprint
from New Jersey to Virginia, with each area having a separate operating company
(consisting of New Jersey Bell, Bell of Pennsylvania, Diamond State Telephone, and
C&P Telephone).
As part of the rebranding that the Baby Bells took in the mid-1990s, all of the
operating companies assumed the Bell Atlantic name. In 1997, Bell Atlantic expanded
into New York and the New England states by merging with fellow Baby Bell NYNEX.
Although Bell Atlantic was the surviving company, the merged company moved its
headquarters from Philadelphia to NYNEX's old headquarters in New York City. In
2000, Bell Atlantic acquired GTE, which operated telecommunications companies
across most of the rest of the country that was not already in Bell Atlantic's
footprint. Bell Atlantic, the surviving company, changed its name to "Verizon", a
portmanteau of veritas (Latin for "truth") and horizon.[10]
In 2015, Verizon expanded into media ownership by acquiring AOL. Two years later,
the company acquired Yahoo! Inc.; both AOL and Yahoo were amalgamated into a new
division known as Oath.
As of 2016, Verizon is one of three companies that had their roots in the former
Baby Bells. The other two, like Verizon, exist as a result of mergers among fellow
former Baby Bell members. One, SBC Communications, bought out the Bells' former
parent AT&T Corporation and assumed the AT&T name. The other, CenturyLink, was
formed initially in 2011 by the acquisition of Qwest (formerly named US West). Its
Verizon Wireless subsidiary is the largest U.S. wireless communications service
provider as of September 2014, with 147 million mobile customers.[11]
Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Bell Atlantic (19832000)
1.2 Acquisition of GTE (20002002)
1.3 20032005
1.4 MCI acquisition
1.5 20062010
1.6 Selling wirelines (20052010 & 2015)
1.7 2011present
1.8 Acquisition of AOL and Yahoo (Oath)
2 Divisions and Subsidiaries
2.1 Oath
2.2 Verizon Global Operations
3 Landline operating companies
4 Marketing campaigns
4.1 Can you hear me now?
4.2 There's a map for that
4.3 That's not cool
4.4 Powerful Answers
4.5 Inspire Her Mind
4.6 Flipside Stories (#NeverSettle)
4.7 Better Matters
5 Corporate governance
5.1 Board of Directors
5.2 Executives
6 Corporate Responsibility
7 Criticism
7.1 Security concerns
8 Sponsorships and venues
8.1 National Hockey League
8.2 Motorsports
8.3 National Football League
8.4 Venues
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
History[edit]
Bell Atlantic (19832000)[edit]

Bell Atlantic's final logo used from 1997-2000

Bell Atlantic logo, 19831997
Bell Atlantic Corporation was created as one of the original Regional Bell
Operating Companies (RBOCs) in 1984, during the breakup of the Bell System. Bell
Atlantic's original roster of operating companies included:
The Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania
New Jersey Bell
Diamond State Telephone
C&P Telephone (itself comprising four subsidiaries)
Bell Atlantic originally operated in the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, as well as Washington, DC.
In 1994, Bell Atlantic became the first RBOC to entirely drop the original names of
its original operating companies.
In 1996, CEO and Chairman Raymond W. Smith orchestrated Bell Atlantic's merger with
NYNEX. When it merged, it moved its corporate headquarters from Philadelphia to New
York City. NYNEX was consolidated into this name by 1997.
Acquisition of GTE (20002002)[edit]
Bell Atlantic changed its name to Verizon Communications in June 2000 when the
Federal Communications Commission approved a US$64.7 billion acquisition of
telephone company GTE, nearly two years after the deal was proposed in July 1998.
[12] The approval came with 25 stipulations to preserve competition between local
phone carriers, including investing in new markets and broadband technologies.[12]
The new entity was headed by co-CEOs Charles Lee, formerly the CEO of GTE, and Bell
Atlantic CEO Ivan Seidenberg.[12]
Upon the acquisition, Verizon became the largest local telephone company in the
United States, operating 63 million telephone lines in 40 states.[13] The company
also inherited 25 million mobile phone customers.[13] Additionally, Verizon offered
internet services and long-distance calling in New York, before expanding long-
distance operations to other states.[12][14]
The name Verizon derives from the combination of the words veritas, Latin for
truth, and horizon.[15] The name was chosen from 8,500 candidates and the company
spent $300 million on marketing the new brand.[15][16]
Two months before the FCC gave final approval on the formation of Verizon
Communications, Bell Atlantic formed Verizon Wireless in a joint venture with the
British telecommunications company Vodafone in April 2000.[16][17][18] The
companies established Verizon Wireless as its own business operated by Bell
Atlantic, which owned 55% of the venture.[17] Vodafone retained 45% of the company.
[17] The deal was valued at approximately $70 billion and created a mobile carrier
with 23 million customers.[16][17] Verizon Wireless merged Bell Atlantic's wireless
network, Vodafone's AirTouch and PrimeCo holdings, and the wireless division of
GTE.[17][19][20] Due to its size, Verizon Wireless was able to offer national
coverage at competitive rates, giving it an advantage over regional providers
typical of the time.[16]
During its first operational year, Verizon Wireless released Mobile Web, an
Internet service that allowed customers to access partner sites such as E*Trade,
ABC News, ESPN, Amazon.com, Ticketmaster and MSN,[18] as well as the "New Every
Two" program, which gave customers a free phone with every two-year service
contract.[21] In another partnership with MSN in 2002, Verizon Wireless launched
the mobile content service "VZW with MSN" and a phone that utilized the Microsoft
Windows operating system.[22]
In August 2000, approximately 85,000 Verizon workers went on an 18-day labor strike
after their union contracts expired.[23][24] The strike affected quarterly
revenues,[25] resulting in Verizon Wireless' postponement of the company's IPO[25]
(the IPO was ultimately cancelled in 2003, because the company no longer needed to
raise revenue for Verizon Wireless due to increased profits[26] ), and created a
backlog of repairs.[24] Verizon launched 3G service in 2002, which doubled the
Internet speeds of the time to 144kb a second.[27] In August 2002, Verizon began
offering local, long-distance, and mobile calling, as well as Internet service, in
a bundle. It was initially only available to customers in New York and
Massachusetts.[14]
20032005[edit]
In June 2003, Verizon Wireless backed an FCC-issued portability requirement that
permitted consumers to take their phone numbers with them across carriers.[28] The
company gained 1.5 million new subscribers the following quarter, partially due to
the rule change.[29] The following year, in April 2004, the Dow Jones Industrial
Average added Verizon Communications to its stock market index.[30] Verizon
replaced telecom competitor AT&T, which had been a part of the index since the
Great Depression.[30]
On December 22, 2004, mail servers at Verizon.net were configured not to accept
connections from Europe, by default, in an attempt to reduce spam email that was
originating from the region. Individual domains would only be unblocked upon
request.[31]
Verizon launched its FiOS Internet service, which transmits data over fiber optic
cables in Keller, Texas.[32] (Since divested Frontier) The company launched FiOS TV
in September 2005, also in Keller, Texas. Twenty percent of qualified homes signed
up by the end of the year.[33] By January 2006, FiOS offered over 350 channels in
eight states, including 20 high-definition television channels as well as video on
demand.[33]
MCI acquisition[edit]
Verizon began negotiations to purchase long distance carrier MCI in 2005. MCI
accepted the company's initial $6.75 billion offer in February 2005, but then
received a higher offer from Qwest Communications. Verizon increased its bid to
$7.6 billion (or $23.50 a share), which MCI accepted on March 29, 2005.[34] The
acquisition gave the company access to MCI's one million corporate clients and
international holdings, expanding Verizon's presence into global markets.[34][35]
As a result, Verizon Business was established as a new division to serve the
company's business and government customers.[36] The FCC approved the deal on
November 5, 2005, valuing it at $8.5 billion.[37] Verizon's 2006 revenues rose by
as much as 20% following the purchase.[38]
20062010[edit]
In May 2006, USA Today reported that Verizon, as well as AT&T and BellSouth, had
given the National Security Agency landline phone records following the September
11 attacks.[39][40] That same month, a $50 billion lawsuit was filed by two lawyers
on behalf of all Verizon subscribers for privacy violations and to prevent the
company from releasing additional records without consent or warrant.[39][40]
Protesters staged the National Day of Out(R)age due in part to the controversy.[41]
Verizon stated in 2007 that the company fulfilled only "lawful demands" for
information,[42] though also acknowledged surrendering customer information to
government agencies without court orders or warrants 720 times between 2005 and
2007.[43]
Verizon won a lawsuit against Vonage in March 2007 for patent infringement. The
three patents named were filed by Bell Atlantic in 1997 and relate to the
conversion of IP addresses into phone numbers, a key technology of Vonage's
business.[44] The company was awarded US$58 million in damages and future
royalties.[44] Vonage later lost an appeal and was ordered to pay Verizon $120
million.[45]
In May 2007, Verizon acquired Cybertrust, a privately held provider of global
information security services.[46] This purchase represented Verizon's intent to
offer security solutions to its global enterprise customers.
Verizon Wireless reversed a controversial decision in September 2007 to deny NARAL
Pro-Choice America a short code through which the organization could text consumers
who had signed up for messaging from the group. They had initially refused the
group access to a code by reserving the right to block "controversial or unsavory"
messages.[47]
In November 2007, Verizon opened its networks for the first time to third party
apps and devices,[48] a decision that allowed it to participate in the FCC's 2008
700 MHz auction of "open access" spectrum.[48][49] During that auction, the company
bid $9.4 billion and won the bulk of national and local licenses for airwaves
reaching approximately 469 million people.[49][50] Verizon utilized the increased
spectrum for its 4G service.[49]
Verizon Wireless purchased wireless carrier Alltel for $28.1 billion in June 2008.
The acquisition included 13 million customers, which allowed Verizon Wireless to
surpass AT&T in number of customers and reach new markets in rural areas.[51]
In October 2010, Verizon Wireless paid $77.8 million in refunds and FCC penalties
for overcharging 15 million customers for data services. The company stated the
overcharges were accidental and only amounted to a few dollars per customer.[52]
[53]
On February 4, 2010, 4chan started receiving reports from Verizon Wireless
customers that they were having difficulties accessing the site's image boards.
4chan administrators found that only traffic on port 80 to the boards.4chan.org
domain was affected, leading them to believe that the block was intentional. On
February 7, 2010, Verizon Wireless confirmed that 4chan.org was "explicitly
blocked"[54] after Verizon's security and external experts detected sweep attacks
coming from an IP address associated with the 4chan network. Traffic was restored
several days later.[55]
In August 2010, the chairmen of Verizon and Google agreed that network neutrality
should be defined and limited.[56][57]
Verizon introduced its 4G LTE network in 38 markets in December 2010, as well as in
airports in seven additional cities. The company planned on a three-year continuous
expansion of the 4G service.[58]
Selling wirelines (20052010 & 2015)[edit]
Between 2005 and 2010, Verizon divested wireline operations in several states in
order to focus on its wireless, FiOS internet and FiOS TV businesses.[38] It sold
700,000 lines in Hawaii in 2005,[38][59] and spun off lines in Maine, New Hampshire
and Vermont in January 2007 that were then purchased by FairPoint Communications
for $2.72 billion.[38] In 2009, the company spun off wirelines in 14 states into a
company that then merged with Frontier Communications in a deal valued at $8.6
billion.[60] Verizon also shed its telephone directory business in 2006.[61]
In May 2009, Verizon announced that it was selling off its wireline operations in
Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon,
South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. And in 2015, they
announced they were selling its wireline operations in Texas, Florida, and
California to Frontier.[62]
2011present[edit]

Verizon logo, 20002015. It is still used in many locations.

On January 27, 2011, Verizon acquired Terremark, an information technology services
company for $1.4 billion.[63] Ivan Seidenberg stepped down as Verizon's CEO on
August 1, 2011.[why?] Lowell McAdam succeeded him.[64]
In December 2011, the non-partisan organization Public Campaign criticized Verizon
for its tax avoidance procedures after it spent $52.34 million on lobbying while
collecting $951 million in tax rebates between 2008 and 2010 and making a profit of
$32.5 billion. The same report also criticized Verizon for increasing executive pay
by 167% in 2010 for its top five executives while laying off 21,308 workers between
2008 and 2010.[65] However, in its Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 24,
2012, Verizon reported having paid more than $11.1 billion in taxes (including
income, employment and property taxes) from 2009 to 2011. In addition, the company
reported in the 10-K that most of the drop in employment since 2008 was due to a
voluntary retirement offer.[66]
In June 2012, as part of its strategy to expand into new growth areas in its
wireless business, Verizon purchased Hughes Telematicsa company that produces
wireless features for automobilesfor $612 million.[67] Also in June 2012,
Verizon's E-911 service failed in the aftermath of the June 2012 derecho storm in
several northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., with some problems lasting
several days.[68] The FCC conducted an investigation[68] and in January 2013
released a report detailing the problems that led to the failure. Verizon reported
that it had already addressed or was addressing a number of the issues related to
the FCC report, including the causes of generator failures, conducting audits of
backup systems and making its monitoring systems less centralized,[69] although the
FCC indicated that Verizon still needed to make additional improvements.[70]
In July 2012, the FCC ruled that Verizon must stop charging users an added fee for
using 4G smartphones and tablets as Wi-Fi hotspots (known as "tethering"). Verizon
had been charging its customers, even those with "unlimited" plans, $20 per month
for tethering. As part of the settlement, Verizon made a voluntary payment of $1.25
million to the U.S. Treasury.[71]
In August 2012, the Department of Justice approved Verizon's purchase of Advanced
Wireless Services (AWS) spectrum from a consortium of cable companies, including
Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, for $3.9 billion.[72] Verizon
began expanding its LTE network utilizing these extra airwaves in October 2013.[73]
On June 5, 2013, The Guardian reported it had obtained an order by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and approved by the United States Foreign
Intelligence Surveillance Court that required Verizon to provide the NSA with
telephone metadata for all calls originating in the U.S.[74][75] Verizon Wireless
was not part of the NSA data collection for wireless accounts due to foreign
ownership issues.[76] (see also MAINWAY article)
In September 2013, Verizon purchased the 45% stake in Verizon Wireless owned by
Vodafone for $130 billion.[77] The deal closed on February 21, 2014, becoming the
third largest corporate deal ever signed, giving Verizon Communications sole
ownership of Verizon Wireless.[78]
On January 14, 2014, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the FCC's net
neutrality rules after Verizon filed suit against them in January 2010.[79][80] In
June 2016, in an 184-page ruling, the United States Court of Appeals for the
District of Columbia Circuit upheld, by a 21 vote, the FCC's net neutrality rules
and the FCC's determination that broadband access is a public utility, rather than
a luxury. AT&T and the telecom industry said that they would seek to appeal the
decision to the Supreme Court.[81]
On January 22, 2014 the Wall Street Journal reported that Verizon received more
than 1,000 requests for information about its subscribers on national security
grounds via National Security Letters. In total, Verizon received 321,545 requests
from federal, state and local law enforcement for U.S. customer information.[82] In
May 2015, Verizon agreed to pay $90 million "to settle federal and state
investigations into allegations mobile customers were improperly billed for premium
text messages."[83]
In August 2015, Verizon launched Hum, a service and device offering vehicle
diagnostic and monitoring tools for vehicles.[84] On August 1, 2016, Verizon
announced its acquisition of Fleetmatics, a fleet telematics system company in
Dublin, Ireland, for $2.4 billion, to build products that it offers to enterprises
for logistics and mobile workforces.[85] On September 12, 2016, Verizon announced
its acquisition of Sensity, a startup for LED sensors, in an effort to bolster its
IoT portfolio.[86]
In October 2016, Verizon was accused by Communications Workers of America of
deliberately refusing to maintain its copper telephone service. The organization
released internal memos and other documents stating that Verizon workers in
Pennsylvania were being instructed to, in areas with network problems, migrate
voice-only customers to VoiceLinka system that delivers telephone service over the
Verizon Wireless network, and not to repair the copper lines. VoiceLink has
limitations, including incompatibility with services or devices that require the
transmission of data over the telephone line, and a dependency on a battery backup
in case of power failure. The memo warned that technicians who do not follow this
procedure would be subject to "disciplinary action up to and including dismissal".
A Verizon spokesperson responded to the allegations, stating that the company's top
priority was to restore service to customers as quickly as possible, and that
VoiceLink was a means of doing so in the event that larger repairs have to be done
to the infrastructure. The spokesperson stated that it was "hard to argue with
disciplining someone who intentionally leaves a customer without service".[87][88]
In November 2016, Verizon acquired mapping startup SocialRadar; its technology will
be integrated with MapQuest.[89]
On January 26, 2017, The Washington Post reported that Verizon was in talks to
merge with Charter Communications.[90]
On March 13, 2017, Verizon was sued by New York City for violating its cable
franchise agreement, which required the provider to pass a fiberoptic network to
all households in the city by June 30, 2014. Verizon disputed the claims, citing
landlords not granting permission to install the equipment on their properties, and
an understanding with the government that the fiber network would follow the same
routes as its copper lines, and did not necessarily mean it would have to pass the
lines in front of every property.[91]
On April 27, 2017 Verizon invested $10 million in Renovo Auto, a Campbell,
California-based autonomous vehicle company.[92]
Acquisition of AOL and Yahoo (Oath)[edit]
On May 12, 2015, Verizon announced they would acquire AOL at $50 per share, for a
deal valued around $4.4 billion.[93][94] The following year, Verizon announced that
it would acquire the core internet business of Yahoo for $4.83 billion.[95][96][97]
Following the completion of the latter acquisition, Verizon intends to operate AOL
and Yahoo under a new division known as Oath.[98] The sale does not include Yahoo's
stakes in Alibaba Group and Yahoo! Japan.[99][100]
On March 16, 2017, Verizon announced that it would discontinue the e-mail services
provided for its internet subscribers, and migrate them to AOL Mail.[101]
On May 23, 2017, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam confirms company's plan to launch a
streaming TV service later 2017.[102] The integrated AOL-Yahoo operation, housed
under the newly created Oath division, will be organized around key content-based
pillars.[103]
On June 8, 2017, Yahoo! shareholders approved the sale of some of the company's
internet assets to Verizon for $4.48 billion. The deal officially closed on June
13, 2017.[104][105][106][107][108]
Divisions and Subsidiaries[edit]

Verizon service van

As of November 7, 2017, Verizon Communications' operations are divided into two
divisions:
Oath[edit]
Oath Inc. will focus on integrating, scaling and growing Verizons portfolio of new
businesses in digital media, Tim Armstrong will be responsible for quickly scaling
these businesses into major contributors to Verizons future growth.
The combination of AOL with the assets of Yahoo under the Oath subsidiary will give
Verizon more than 1.3 billion digital media users and generate $7 billion in
revenue. Armstrongs team will be responsible for integrating these businesses and
building brand and market share in this growing market.
Verizon Global Operations[edit]
The Global Operations team will focus on operating and growing Verizons
established businesses, which include: Verizon Wireless, Verizon Enterprise
Solutions, Verizon Partner Solutions, Verizon Consumer Markets and Verizon Business
Markets. These businesses generate more than $120 billion in annual revenue and
serve more than 120 million customers.
John Stratton will focus on growing these core businesses, while accelerating
Verizons shift toward a digital-first model. Stratton will also lead operations
and sales for the Internet of Things products and services, including smart
communities. And it now includes Verizon Telematics, previously part of the Media
Division. It the largest segment of the company.
Landline operating companies[edit]
Verizon inherited multiple incumbent local exchange carriers that remain part of
the company's operations, these are:
Bell System companies
Verizon Delaware
Verizon Maryland
Verizon New England (Massachusetts and Rhode Island)
Verizon New Jersey
Verizon New York
Verizon Pennsylvania
Verizon Virginia
Verizon Washington, DC
GTE companies
Verizon North (Pennsylvania)
Verizon South (Virginia and North Carolina)
Marketing campaigns[edit]
Since its inception, Verizon Communications has run several marketing campaigns,
including:
Can you hear me now?[edit]
The "Can you hear me now?" campaign, which was created for the newly formed Verizon
Wireless, started running in 2001 and featured actor Paul Marcarelli in the role of
"Test Man," a character based on a Verizon network tester who travels the country
asking "Can you hear me now?".[109][110][111] The campaign, originally conceived by
the agency Bozell in New York, ran from early 2001 to September 2010.[112][113]
Data from the technology tracking firm The Yankee Group shows that, in the early
years of the campaign, net customers grew 10% to 32.5 million in 2002 and 15% more
to 37.5 million in 2003. In addition, customer turnover dropped to 1.8% in 2001,
down from 2.5% in 2000.[111] In 2011, Marcarelli parted ways with Verizon and is
now a spokesperson for Sprint.[114]
There's a map for that[edit]
The "There's a map for that" campaign was launched in late 2009. It was designed as
a parody of AT&T's "There's an app for that" adverts. The ads depicted a side-by-
side comparison of Verizon and AT&T network coverage maps.[115] AT&T filed a
lawsuit in Atlanta federal court early in November 2009, claiming that the coverage
maps being used in the ads were misleading.[116] The suit was dropped later that
month in conjunction with Verizon dropping a similar suit against AT&T.[115]
That's not cool[edit]
In 2009, Verizon joined with the Ad Council, in partnership with the Family
Violence Prevention Fund and the Office on Violence Against Women, to create the
"That's not cool" campaign. This public service advertising campaign was designed
to help teens recognize and prevent digital dating abuse. Verizon ran the ads on
its Wireless' Mobile Web service, Verizon FiOS Internet, and Verizon FiOS TV.[117]
[118]
Powerful Answers[edit]
In January 2013, Verizon launched the "Powerful Answers" campaign designed by
agency McGarryBowen.[119] The campaign centered around a contest in which $10
million in prizes was offered to individuals for finding solutions to "the world's
biggest challenges" by making use of Verizon's cloud, broadband, and wireless
networks.[120][121] Winners of the inaugural competition were announced at the 2014
Consumer Electronics Show.[120] Israel-based TinyTap won the education category,
Smart Vision Labs of Newport, Rhode Island won in the healthcare category, and
Mosaic Inc. of Oakland, California won in the sustainability category.[120]
Inspire Her Mind[edit]
Verizon launched its "Inspire Her Mind" ad in June 2014. The ad, created by the
agency AKQA, was designed to encourage girls' interest in science, technology,
engineering and math.[122] It aimed to address findings from the National Science
Foundation, whose research showed that 66 percent of fourth-grade girls said they
like science and math, yet only 18 percent of college students in engineering and
math are women.[123][124]
Flipside Stories (#NeverSettle)[edit]
Verizon launched its Flipside Stories ad campaign in February 2015 featuring the
#NeverSettle hashtag. The ads show dramatized "testimonials" of people with and
without Verizon Wireless or Verizon FiOS services.[125][126][127]
Better Matters[edit]
In 2016, Verizon started using the slogan "Better Matters" in reference to its
wireless and FiOS networks. For wireless, it relies heavily on its larger coverage
map, and its RootMetrics RootScore awards. For FiOS, it relies on the fact that
"FiOS is wired differently [than cable]", being that FiOS is fiber to the home, and
its local competitors are not.
Corporate governance[edit]
Board of Directors[edit]
The current Board of Directors is comprised as follows as of February 2017:[128]
Lowell McAdam, CEO of Verizon (chairman of the board)
Shellye Archambeau, CEO of MetricStream
Mark Bertolini, CEO of Aetna
Richard Carrin, CEO of Popular, Inc.
Melanie Healey, former President of Procter & Gamble
Frances Keeth, former Executive Vice President of Royal Dutch Shell
Karl-Ludwig Kley, former CEO and Chairman of Merck Group
Clarence Otis, Jr., former CEO and Chairman of Darden Restaurants
Rodney E. Slater, former United States Secretary of Transportation and current
partner at Squire Patton Boggs
Kathryn Tesija, former Executive Vice President of Target Corporation
Gregory Wasson, former CEO and Chairman of Walgreens Boots Alliance
Gregory Weaver, former CEO of Deloitte's audit and enterprise risk division
Executives[edit]
As of November 1, 2017:
Tim Armstrong, CEO of Oath
Hans Vestberg, EVP & President of Verizon Network and Technology
John Stratton, EVP & President of Verizon Global Operations
Ronan Dunne
President, Verizon Wireless
Corporate Responsibility[edit]
The Verizon Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications, donating
about $70 million per year to nonprofit organizations, with a focus on education,
domestic violence prevention, and energy management.[129] Verizon's educational
initiatives have focused on STEM fields,[130] including: a national competition for
students to develop mobile application concepts;[130] the Verizon Innovative
Learning Schools program, providing professional development for teachers in
underserved areas;[131] and providing students with wireless hardware and services
as part of President Obama's ConnectED program.[132] The company also runs
HopeLine, which has provided mobile phones to approximately 180,000 victims of
domestic violence,[133][134] and a program that offers grants for victims of
domestic violence to start or grow home-based businesses.[135] As part of an
initiative to reduce the company's carbon intensity metrics by 50 percent by 2020,
Verizon announced planned investment in solar panels and natural gas fuel cells at
its facilities.[136] The increased capacity would make Verizon the leading solar
power producer among U.S. communications companies.[137]
Criticism[edit]
Security concerns[edit]
According to Google Project Zero researcher Tavis Ormandy Verizon applies a
simplistic certification methodology to give its "Excellence in Information
Security Testing" award, e.g. to Comodo Group. It focuses on GUI functions instead
of testing security relevant features. Not detected were Chromodo browser disabling
of the same-origin policy, a VNC delivered with a default of weak authentication,
not enabling address space layout randomization (ASLR) when scanning, and using
access control lists (ACLs) throughout its product.[138]
Sponsorships and venues[edit]
Verizon is the title sponsor of several large performance and sports venues as well
as a sponsor of several major sporting organizations.
National Hockey League[edit]
In January 2007, Verizon secured exclusive marketing and promotional rights with
the National Hockey League.[139] The deal was extended for another three years in
2012 and included new provisions for the league to provide exclusive content
through Verizon's GameCenter app.[140]
Motorsports[edit]
In 2009 and 2010 Verizon sponsored Justin Allgaier in the NASCAR Nationwide Series,
before they chose to opt out of a two-year-old NASCAR team sponsorship with Penske
Racing in order to pursue an expanded presence with the IndyCar Series.[141] In
March 2014 Verizon signed a multiyear deal making them the title sponsor of the
IndyCar Series, now called the Verizon IndyCar Series.[142] In 2012 Verizon was
featured on the side of both McLaren cars at the US Grand Prix.
National Football League[edit]
In late 2010, Verizon Communications joined with Vodafone Group in a joint
partnership to replace Sprint as the official wireless telecommunications partner
of the National Football League.[143] The four-year deal was estimated at $720
million. In June 2013, Verizon announced a four-year extension with the NFL in a
deal reportedly valued at $1 billion. The new agreement gave Verizon the right to
stream every NFL regular-season and playoff game.[144]
Venues[edit]
Verizon is the title sponsor for a number of sporting and entertainment arenas
including the Verizon Center in Washington, DC;[145] the Verizon Arena in North
Little Rock, Arkansas;[146] and the Verizon Center in Mankato, Minnesota.[147] SNHU
Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire was originally known as the Verizon Wireless
Arena until September 2016, when Southern New Hampshire University acquired the
naming rights for a period of at least 10 years.[148]
Verizon is also currently the title sponsor of five entertainment amphitheaters in
locations throughout the United States, four being individually referred to as the
"Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre": in Irvine, California; Maryland Heights, Missouri;
Selma, Texas; and Alpharetta, Georgia. The fifth is the Verizon Theatre at Grand
Prairie, Texas.