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                                                                    Exhibit 23.3

                   CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

As independent public accountants, we hereby consent to the incorporation by
reference in this Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement on Form S-3 by
Verizon Communications Inc. and Verizon Global Funding Corp. (a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Verizon Communications Inc.) of our report dated June 30, 2000 on
the consolidated financial statements of GTE Corporation as of December 31,
1999, and for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 1999, and
to all references to our Firm included in this registration statement.

/s/ Arthur Andersen LLP
Dallas, Texas

November 8, 2001


