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                                                                   Exhibit 23(f)

                       CONSENT OF BEAR, STEARNS & CO. INC.

      We hereby consent to the use of our name and to the description of our
opinion letter, dated the date of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus referred
to below, (i) in the first paragraph under the caption "SUMMARY -- Opinions of
Financial Advisors," (ii) under the captions "THE MERGER -- Background of the
Merger" and " -- Reasons for the Merger; Recommendations of the Boards" and
(iii) under the caption "OPINIONS OF FINANCIAL ADVISORS -- Opinion of NYNEX's
Financial Advisors -- Opinion of Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc." in, and to the
inclusion of such opinion letter as Appendix IV to, the Joint Proxy
Statement/Prospectus of Bell Atlantic Corporation and NYNEX Corporation, which
Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus is part of the Registration Statement on Form
S-4 of Bell Atlantic Corporation, filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on September 6, 1996. By giving such consent we do not thereby admit
that we are experts with respect to any part of such Registration Statement
within the meaning of the term "expert" as used in, or that we come within the
category of persons whose consent is required under, the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended, or the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange
Commission promulgated thereunder.

                                          BEAR, STEARNS & CO. INC.

                                          By:   /s/  James A. Ferency
                                                     Senior Managing Director

New York, New York
September 6, 1996
