Maryland governor signs bill ending automatic delivery of Verizon's residential white pages directory in state, citing 2,000 tons/year paper savings; company to offer white pages on CD-ROM, online
Andrew Rogers
ANNAPOLIS, Maryland
,
May 19, 2011
(press release)
–
Maryland Gov. Martin J. O'Malley on Thursday (May 19) signed into law a bill specifying that Verizon may not be required to automatically deliver printed white pages residential listings in the state. Verizon will offer online access to white pages residential listings, and will provide free printed or CD-ROM versions of the listings upon request. Print directories containing business and government white pages, customer information pages and the yellow pages will continue to be delivered. The following statement should be attributed to William R. Roberts, president of Verizon in Maryland and Washington, D.C.
"This new law benefits consumers and our environment here in Maryland. These days, there are so many ways to obtain residential phone listings. Now, people who don't use or want the residential white pages listings will not get them automatically delivered in paper form from Verizon each year. And, people who do use the listings will be able to look them up easily online or request free delivery of a print or CD-ROM version simply by calling a toll-free number.
"Moving from automatic to on-request delivery of white pages listings also will save more than 2,000 tons of paper each year from Maryland's landfills. This reduction in the use of paper plays a key role in Verizon's corporate sustainability program. Last year alone, for example, Verizon and its customers saved more than 573 million pages of paper nationwide by switching to paperless billing.
"Maryland now joins several other states that have moved away from the automatic delivery of printed white pages since 2010."
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