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- Second year in a row company has ranked first - ATLANTA, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS) has finished first among telecommunications companies as part of the 2006 NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) 2006 Economic Reciprocity Initiative. This is the second year in a row the corporation has received the highest score of all the companies surveyed across five industries. BellSouth Chief Diversity Officer Valencia Adams was there when the results were announced during today's NAACP Convention in Washington, D.C. "It was our goal to better our 2005 score, and I'm pleased that our efforts made a difference and that the NAACP is also acknowledging our progress," she said. This year BellSouth received a score of 3.54 (grade B+) which is an improvement over its 2005 top-finishing score of 3.33 (grade B-). The NAACP uses the scores to measure the efforts of major corporations in the areas of hiring, promotion, procurement, philanthropy, and marketing in hopes of creating a more enlightened consumer base. The organization grades companies in five general areas relating to their diversity practices in: employment, advertising and marketing spending, service deployment, vendor relations, and charitable giving. The five industries measured are lodging, telecommunications, financial services, general merchandising, and automotive. This is the ninth year BellSouth technology has enabled millions of people around the world to view a live Webcast of the NAACP convention. Go to http://www.naacpwebcast.com/ for video broadcasts and rebroadcasts of daily activities. About the NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was formed in 1909 and its mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination. About BellSouth Corporation BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 500 communications company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth has joint control and 40 percent ownership of Cingular Wireless, the nation's largest wireless voice and data provider with 55.8 million customers. Backed by award-winning customer service, BellSouth offers the most comprehensive and innovative package of voice and data services available in the market. Through BellSouth Answers(R), residential and small business customers can bundle their local and long distance service with dial-up and high-speed DSL Internet access, satellite television and Cingular(R) Wireless service. For businesses, BellSouth provides secure, reliable local and long distance voice and data networking solutions. BellSouth also offers print and online directory advertising through The Real Yellow Pages(R) and YELLOWPAGES.COM(TM) from BellSouth. BellSouth believes that diversity and fostering an inclusive environment are critical in maintaining a competitive advantage in today's global marketplace. More information about BellSouth can be found at http://www.bellsouth.com/. DATASOURCE: BellSouth Corporation CONTACT: Angela Brooks of BellSouth Corporation, +1-404-249-2365, or Web site: http://www.bellsouth.com/ http://www.naacpwebcast.com/ Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/095650.html

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