Supporting Statement:
Digital service providers (DSPs) control access to critical services and platforms that drive innovation in the American
economy and facilitate expression and the open exchange of information across the globe. These companies have
unprecedented power to censor speech. And they are under increasing pressure to remove unpopular religious and
political views from the marketplace.
Respecting fundamental freedoms, like free speech and religious liberty, drives healthy discourse and tolerance for
diverse views. Verizon (the “Company”) can and should promote these freedoms to best serve its diverse users and
promote a healthy market and marketplace of ideas. Economic growth also requires innovation, and that requires the
freedom to challenge the status quo. If DSPs stifle such freedom, they will not only lock out Americans from some of the
best tools for innovation and growth, but will hurt their own bottom lines in the process.
But recent events and Verizon's own policies suggest that users' and customers' freedom of expression and religion are
at risk. The 2023 edition of the Viewpoint Diversity Business Index1
, in which Verizon scored a mere 11%, shows that
Verizon's product/service policies permit the Company to deny or restrict service based on ”unclear or imprecise terms,”
creating a further lack of transparency regarding the Company's actual standards and practices. In this, what can Verizon
shareholders believe?
These kinds of terms allow Verizon and the activists and governments who may pressure them to deny or restrict service
for arbitrary or discriminatory reasons. They also allow the Company to avoid accountability by hiding censorship behind
vague and shifting standards. And concerns over censorship are very real. As noted in the 1792 Exchange's report,2 which
labeled the Company as High Risk, Verizon attracted criticism during the 2020 presidential campaign over ”cessation of
service” regarding the Trump campaign. With no proven cause or good‑faith explanation given by the Company, the
possibility of political discrimination remains open.
When Verizon engages in this kind of discrimination, they expose themselves to heightened legal liability and hinder the
ability of Americans to access the marketplace. This undermines the fundamental freedoms of our country and is an
affront to the public trust.
Verizon also maintains that it promotes diversity and inclusion,3 and has maintained the ostensible value of free speech in
defending its users' privacy.4 Shareholders must know that Verizon is adhering to its own standards by serving diverse
consumers without regard to their beliefs or other factors above.

1 https://www.viewpointdiversityscore.org/company/verizon‑communications
2 https://1792exchange.com/pdf/?c_id=705
3 https://www.verizon.com/about/our‑company/diversity‑and‑inclusion
4 https://www.verizon.com/about/news/press‑releases/verizon‑wins‑critical‑legal‑battle‑protect‑internet‑usersprivacy‑free‑speech‑rights‑and‑personal‑safety

Filed by American Family Association.