BellSouth Responds To Pro-Competition Legislation Introduction WASHINGTON, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Two different but similarly pro- competition pieces of legislation have been introduced in the Congress today that will speed the introduction of competitive video services throughout the country. The following can be attributed to Herschel Abbott, BellSouth vice president of government affairs. "We applaud the introduction of these bills as, when enacted, they will provide benefits to consumers by streamlining competitive entry into the video market. While we would prefer that these legislative efforts be included in the update to the Telecommunications Act of 1996 which is being discussed by the Congress, we are encouraged that these pieces of legislation go a long way in advancing these issues and we look forward to working with members of Congress to ensure that these concepts are adopted into law. There are some changes that we would like to see made, but it would be inappropriate to comment about them until we have discussed the issues with the sponsors of the bills." About BellSouth Corporation BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 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 more than 50 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 online and directory advertising through BellSouth(R) RealPages.com(R) and The Real Yellow Pages(R). 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: Joe Chandler, Media Relations of BellSouth, +1-404-829-8700, or Cingular, +1-404-312-1964, or Web site: http://www.bellsouth.com/

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