TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Corporate Identify -- Verizon vs. "Bell Telephone"

Re: Corporate Identify -- Verizon vs. "Bell Telephone"

Michael D. Sullivan (userid@camsul.example.invalid)
Mon, 07 Mar 2005 04:51:56 GMT

In article <telecom24.97.9@telecom-digest.org>, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
says:

> As has been done for years, the regular telephone bill mailing
> contained an advertising insert for premium products and services.

> On a recent Verizon leaflet, at the bottom was a small line,
> "Bell Telephone Company of Pennsylvania".

> This was curious since that's a very old name that hasn't been used
> for years. Even in the Bell era, they shortened it to just "Bell of
> Pennsylvania". After divesture they became "Bell Atlantic", and IIRC
> they legally changed their name to that. Further, IIRC, their name
> change to Verizon was a legal name change as well, not just a
> marketing tool.

> So, I'm curious as to why they would use an old name on modern sales
> literature, esp when they're pushing their most modern high tech
> services. (They changed their name to Verizon specifically to sound
> high tech and not old fashioned with 'Bell Telephone').

> The only thing I could think of is perhaps it's to distinguish this
> mailing for this state, and former Bell customers (as opposed to GTE
> customers).

The various mergers and corporate name changes that have taken place
over the last 20 years among the Bell companies have not, for the most
part, changed the legal name of the operating company within each
state. All of the Bell Atlantic companies use the Bell Atlantic name
to do business, but the state operating companies all have individual
names, auch as Bell Telephone Co. of Pa. I think some of them have
changed their names, however. Most likely the reason for the old name
appearing on the modern literature is a state PUC or statutory
requirement that the actual name of the operating company be provided
on marketing documents. This would be the name that appears on the
tariff, as well.

Michael D. Sullivan
Bethesda, MD, USA
Replace "example.invalid" with ".com".

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