D&E Communications Leads Pennsylvania in e-Safety Awareness: Financial News

D&E Communications Leads Pennsylvania in e-Safety Awareness
Tuesday October 28, 2008 3:30 pm ET

Partnership With i-SAFE Educates Teachers, Students and the Community About e-Safety

EPHRATA, PA--(MARKET WIRE)--Oct 28, 2008 -- D&E Communications, Inc. (D&E) (DECC - News), a leading provider of integrated communications services in central and eastern Pennsylvania and i-SAFE, the leader in e-Safety education announce a new partnership to keep central Pennsylvania students safe online. As part of the D&E i-SAFE program, D&E employees will be certified to conduct online safety training sessions throughout central Pennsylvania. Local schools and organizations are invited to request a training session at their location by visiting www.decommunications.com/onlinesafety.

In addition, the D&E i-SAFE program will provide resources and materials to empower students, parents, community members and law enforcement to be safe online. i-SAFE trained educators and law enforcement professionals will teach K-12 curriculum in the classroom while D&E employees promote i-SAFE Youth Empowerment and Outreach Campaigns in their communities.

"As a provider of Internet services, we think it's important to provide a safe and positive experience for our customers. That's why we've teamed with i-SAFE to give our employees, friends and community members a way to become involved in a worthwhile cause to protect central Pennsylvania children," said James W. Morozzi, D&E Communications President and Chief Executive Officer.

According to i-SAFE's National Assessment Center (NAC) surveys from Pennsylvania 5th-8th grade students:

 
--  97% report that they spend at least one hour per week on the Internet;
    17% spend more than 8 hours per week online.
--  46% report that people on the Internet have said mean or hurtful
    things about them or others while online.
--  13% report that they have met someone from the Internet in person.
--  15% report that they tell their parents "almost nothing" or "nothing"
    about their Internet-only friends.

What's more, NAC survey data show that 67% of parents in Pennsylvania feel that their ability to shelter their children from inappropriate material on the Internet is limited, and 51% of Pennsylvania students say their parents would disapprove if they knew what they did, where they went or with whom they chatted on the Internet.

"D&E Communications is taking action in a leadership role to provide long-lasting e-Safety solutions in Pennsylvania," says Teri Schroeder, i-SAFE CEO and Program Director. "We are proud to have D&E as a partner."

More than 406,000 Pennsylvania students in 629 schools have received the critical thinking and decision-making skills necessary to recognize and avoid dangerous, destructive or unlawful online behavior through i-SAFE lessons. More than 6 million students have received this training across the country.

About D&E Communications, Inc.

D&E is a leading integrated communications provider offering high-speed data, Internet access, local and long distance telephone, business continuity services, co-location facilities, data and professional IT services, network monitoring, security solutions and video services. Based in Lancaster County, D&E has been serving communities in central and eastern Pennsylvania for more than 100 years. For more information, visit www.decommunications.com.

About i-SAFE Inc.

Founded in 1998 and active in all 50 states, i-SAFE Inc. (www.isafe.org) is the leader in Internet safety education. i-SAFE is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate and empower students, parents, seniors and community members to safely and responsibly take control of their Internet experiences. i-SAFE provides knowledge that will enable them to recognize and avoid dangerous, destructive or unlawful online behavior, and to respond appropriately. This is accomplished through dynamic K through 12 curriculum and community-outreach programs to students, parents, law enforcement and community leaders. i-SAFE is the only Internet safety foundation to combine these elements. i-SAFE Inc. is recognized by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as a tax exempt 501(c) (3) charitable organization.