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================================================================================


                                  UNITED STATES

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT


     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                          Date of Report: April 9, 2002
                        (Date of earliest event reported)




                           VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)




<Table>
<S>                                          <C>                              <C>
              Delaware                               1-8606                                23-2259884
    (State or other jurisdiction of          (Commission File Number)         (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
            incorporation)


   1095 Avenue of the Americas,
   New York, New York                                                                        10036
   (Address of principal executive offices)                                               (Zip Code)
</Table>



       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (212) 395-2121



                                 Not applicable
          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)




================================================================================





<PAGE>





Item 5.  Other Events.

Attached as an exhibit is a press release issued by Verizon Communications Inc.
on April 9, 2002 providing an estimate of adjusted diluted earnings per share,
and estimating charges for goodwill and other investments, for the first quarter
of 2002.

           Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains statements about expected future events
and financial results that are forward-looking and subject to risks and
uncertainties. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor
for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors could affect future results
and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements: the duration and extent of the current economic
downturn; materially adverse changes in economic conditions in the markets
served by us or by companies in which we have substantial investments; material
changes in available technology; an adverse change in the ratings afforded our
debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations; the final
outcome of federal, state, and local regulatory initiatives and proceedings,
including arbitration proceedings, and judicial review of those initiatives and
proceedings, pertaining to, among other matters, the terms of interconnection,
access charges, and unbundled network element and resale rates; the extent,
timing, success, and overall effects of competition from others in the local
telephone and toll service markets; the timing and profitability of our entry
and expansion in the national long-distance market; our ability to satisfy
regulatory merger conditions and obtain combined company revenue enhancements
and cost savings; the profitability of our broadband operations; the ability of
Verizon Wireless to achieve revenue enhancements and cost savings, and obtain
sufficient spectrum resources; the continuing financial needs of Genuity Inc.,
our ability to convert our ownership interest in Genuity into a controlling
interest consistent with regulatory conditions, and Genuity's ensuing
profitability; our ability to recover insurance proceeds relating to equipment
losses and other adverse financial impacts resulting from the terrorist attacks
on Sept. 11, 2001; and changes in our accounting assumptions that regulatory
agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the
accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on
earnings.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(c)      Exhibits.

         99       Press release dated April 9, 2002, issued by Verizon
                  Communications Inc.






                                    SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.


                                          Verizon Communications Inc.
                                    ----------------------------------------
                                                 (Registrant)

Date:     April 9, 2002                     /s/ Lawrence R. Whitman
       -------------------          ----------------------------------------
                                    Lawrence R. Whitman
                                    Senior Vice President and Controller



<PAGE>





                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

<Table>
<Caption>
EXHIBIT
NUMBER   DESCRIPTION
-------  -----------
<S>      <C>
99       Press release dated April 9, 2002, issued by Verizon Communications
         Inc.
</Table>


</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
<DOCUMENT>
<TYPE>EX-99
<SEQUENCE>3
<FILENAME>d95911ex99.txt
<DESCRIPTION>PRESS RELEASE DATED APRIL 9, 2002
<TEXT>
<PAGE>
                                                                      EXHIBIT 99


NEWS RELEASE                                                      [VERIZON LOGO]




FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                       CONTACT:
APRIL 9, 2002                               BOB VARETTONI
                                            212-395-7726
                                            robert.a.varettoni@verizon.com


                 VERIZON COMMUNICATIONS SEES FIRST QUARTER 2002
                   EARNINGS PER SHARE IN RANGE OF EXPECTATIONS

          ADJUSTED EPS EXPECTED AT 72 CENTS; APPROXIMATELY $2.5 BILLION
            ANTICIPATED IN CHARGES FOR GOODWILL AND OTHER INVESTMENTS

         NEW YORK -- Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) today estimated that
adjusted diluted Earnings Per Share (EPS) would be approximately 72 cents for
the first quarter of 2002, which is in the range of analyst expectations. The
company also said that it expects a special non-cash charge of approximately
$2.5 billion in the quarter, primarily for write-downs associated with goodwill
and other investments.

         Verizon will announce complete first-quarter results on April 23.
First-quarter special items are in the process of being finalized and will
include an adjustment for new accounting rules that require implementation of
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142. This is expected to result
in up to $500 million in after-tax charges for goodwill and other intangible
assets the company currently carries on its balance sheet.

         In addition, other charges will reflect the current market values of
investments, primarily including CANTV in Venezuela, CTI Holdings in Argentina
and Metromedia Fiber Network in the U.S. The company estimates that the net
effect of the write-down of these investments, after taking into account asset
sales and other items, will total approximately $2 billion after-tax.

         Verizon Vice Chairman and Chief Financial Officer Fred Salerno said,
"Given the change in accounting rules for goodwill and the volatility in certain
world markets, we wanted to give


<PAGE>

Verizon News Release, page 2


the parameters of the approximate charges associated with these items as soon as
possible after the end of the first quarter."

         Salerno added, "As we have said previously, we do not expect to report
an improvement in revenue growth due to the continuing effects of the economic
downturn. Still, we expect our adjusted first-quarter earnings to be within the
range of analyst expectations, primarily due to our continued, aggressive focus
on cost control."


         Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) is one of the world's leading
providers of communications services. Verizon companies are the largest
providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States, with
132.1 million access line equivalents and approximately 29.4 million wireless
customers. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world. With
more than $67 billion in annual revenues and approximately 247,000 employees,
Verizon's global presence extends to more than 40 countries in the Americas,
Europe, Asia and the Pacific. For more information on Verizon, visit
www.verizon.com.

                                      ####

ON THE INTERNET: Verizon news releases, executive speeches, biographies, media
contacts and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the
World Wide Web at www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail,
visit the News Center and register for personalized automatic delivery of
Verizon news releases.

NOTE: This press release contains statements about expected future events and
financial results that are forward-looking and subject to risks and
uncertainties. For those statements, we claim the protection of the safe harbor
for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. The following important factors could affect future results
and could cause those results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements: the duration and extent of the current economic
downturn; materially adverse changes in economic conditions in the markets
served by us or by companies in which we have substantial investments; material
changes in available technology; an adverse change in the ratings afforded our
debt securities by nationally accredited ratings organizations; the final
outcome of federal, state, and local regulatory initiatives and proceedings,
including arbitration proceedings, and judicial review of those initiatives and
proceedings, pertaining to, among other matters, the terms of interconnection,
access charges, and unbundled network element and resale rates; the extent,
timing, success, and overall effects of competition from others in the local
telephone and toll service markets; the timing and profitability of our entry
and expansion in the national long-distance market; our ability to satisfy
regulatory merger conditions and obtain combined company revenue enhancements
and cost savings; the profitability of our broadband operations; the ability of
Verizon Wireless to achieve revenue enhancements and cost savings, and obtain
sufficient spectrum resources; the continuing financial needs of Genuity Inc.,
our ability to convert our ownership interest in Genuity into a controlling
interest consistent with regulatory conditions, and Genuity's ensuing
profitability; our ability to recover insurance proceeds relating to equipment
losses and other adverse financial impacts resulting from the terrorist attacks
on Sept. 11, 2001; and changes in our accounting assumptions that regulatory
agencies, including the SEC, may require or that result from changes in the
accounting rules or their application, which could result in an impact on
earnings.

</TEXT>
</DOCUMENT>
</SUBMISSION>
