ATLANTA - Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson is joining forces with Cox Communications to raise awareness about Internet safety. Ms. Nelson will star in a series of Cox public service announcements and make several local appearances in Cox markets to educate parents and children about the critical importance of making safe, smart choices online.

"I'm proud to partner with Cox Communications. We will leverage Cox's resources and my platform as Miss America to urge children to be safer on the Internet," said Ms. Nelson. "When I was 13, I experienced first-hand the potential dangers of unsafe Internet use. Some friends and I made the mistake of giving our names, ages and locations to someone online who we later discovered was a sexual predator. After we received inappropriate photographs from this person, we immediately told our parents, and the situation was defused without incident. Unfortunately, not all kids are as lucky as my friends and I were. That's why I feel an obligation as Miss America to help children avoid dangerous situations online."

"Lauren is a wonderful role model for kids and an ideal advocate for the importance of being safe online. We're delighted she is joining with Cox to deliver critical messages and resources that help parents and their kids make safe, constructive use of the Internet," said Ellen East, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for Cox Communications.

Cox's Take Charge program (www.cox.com/takecharge) provides scores of tools and tips to empower parents and kids to safely make the most of TV and the Internet. In some of the new Cox PSAs that will debut on Cox Cable channels nationwide in May, Ms. Nelson shares the screen with John Walsh, the TV host and well-known children's advocate who has served as Cox's Take Charge spokesperson since 2004.

As Miss Oklahoma, the Lawton native starred in Internet safety PSAs broadcast last year on Cox's cable systems throughout the state. As Miss America, she will return to her home state later this summer to headline Cox Internet safety events in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. In addition, on May 2 she will give the keynote address at a Teen Summit sponsored by Cox's Greater Louisiana operation in Baton Rouge. On June 27, she will join Walsh and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at Cox's National Teen Summit on Internet Safety at National Press Club in Washington, D.C. At the 2nd annual summit, teens from Cox markets nationwide will discuss strategies to help other teens practice safer online use and will deliver those messages directly to members of Congress during meetings on Capitol Hill.

About The Miss America Organization

The Miss America Organization is one of the nation's leading achievement programs and the world's largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. Last year, the Miss America Organization and its state and local organizations made available more than $45 million in cash and scholarship assistance. Para obtener más información, ve a www.missamerica.org.

About Cox Communications, Inc.

Cox Communications is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with more than 6 million total residential and commercial customers. The third-largest cable television company in the United States, Cox offers an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet and telephony services over its own nationwide IP network, as well as integrated wireless services in partnership with Sprint (NYSE: S). Cox Business Services is a full-service, facilities-based provider of communications solutions for commercial customers, providing high-speed Internet, voice and long distance services, as well as data and video transport services for small to large-sized businesses. Cox Media offers national and local cable advertising in traditional spot and new media formats, along with promotional opportunities and production services. More information about the services of Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com/espanol, www.coxbusiness.com y www.coxmedia.com.

Contact: Cox Communications:
David Grabert
david.grabert@cox.com
404-269-7054

Miss America Organization:
Sharon Pearce
sharon@missamerica.org
609-345-7571