ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 21, 2003-- Cox's Local Telephone Service Ranks Highest in All Categories of Customer Satisfaction in Western Region

Cox Communications, Inc. (NYSE: COX) announced today that it received the highest honor in J.D. Power and Associates' 2003 Residential Local Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study released earlier this week. Cox's local telephone service ranked the highest in overall customer satisfaction in the Western Region. This marks the first year that Cox Communications has been included in this study, and the first time any broadband communications company has received a J.D. Power and Associates' telephone service award.

"We pride ourselves on delivering reliable, high-quality telephone service backed by outstanding customer care," said David Pugliese, Cox's vice president of product marketing and management. "This study is a strong testament to our success in bringing choice in local and long distance telephone service at a great value to Cox communities."

Although Cox offers telephone service in 11 markets across the country, it was included only in the Western Region study due to its high market share in this region. The seven other telephone service providers included in the 16-state Western Region study are Verizon, Sprint, SBC, Qwest, Frontier, CenturyTel and ALLTEL.

The study rated overall customer satisfaction based on six factors: company image, customer service, performance and reliability, billing, cost of service, and offerings and promotions. Cox received the highest ranking in every category for the Western Region, in addition to scoring 18 points higher than its closest competitor in overall satisfaction. Among all local telephone service providers nationwide, the J.D. Power and Associates study showed that Cox customers reported the lowest number of contacts required to resolve problems; are among the least likely to switch carriers in the next 12 months; and are the most likely to bundle multiple services.

"The J.D. Power and Associates study found that the key reasons for customers to switch all telecommunications services to one company are largely due to the desire for simplicity," stated Pugliese. "Cox customers are more likely to bundle services than others because we offer the convenience of receiving one bill and calling one number for all of your telephone, Internet and cable needs."

Earlier this month, Cox Communications was also recognized in the J.D. Power and Associates' 2003 Long Distance Telephone Study. In the mainstream user segment, which includes customers who spend less than $30 per month on long distance, Cox ranked second out of seventeen in overall customer satisfaction nationwide, beating out all of its local market competitors.

One of the only major broadband communications companies to aggressively pursue cable telephony following enactment of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, Cox is widely lauded for bringing a competitive choice in local and long distance service to its markets. The company offers a total package of local telephone service with a full complement of features and long distance service. Cox was among the first companies in the country to offer customers the convenience of getting all of their telephone services (local and long distance) from one provider. Further, Cox was the first company to deliver the full package of telephone, high-speed Internet and digital cable television over a single broadband network.

Cox first launched telephony service in Orange County, California in 1997. Since then, the company has expanded its telephony footprint to ten additional markets and grown to become the 12th-largest telephone company in the country, processing more than 24 million phone calls per day.

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Cox Communications (NYSE: COX), a Fortune 500 company, is a multi-service broadband communications company serving approximately 6.3 million customers nationwide. Cox is the nation's fourth-largest cable television provider, and offers both traditional analog video programming under the Cox Cable brand as well as advanced digital video programming under the Cox Digital Cable brand. Cox provides an array of other communications and entertainment services, including local and long distance telephone under the Cox Digital Telephone brand; high-speed Internet access under the brands Cox High Speed Internet and Cox Express; and commercial voice and data services via its affiliate Cox Business Services, LLC. Local cable advertising, promotional opportunities and production services are sold under the Cox Media(SM) brand. Cox is an investor in programming networks including Discovery Channel. More information about Cox Communications can be accessed on the Internet at www.cox.com/espanol.

CONTACT: Cox Communications, Atlanta Media Bobby Amirshahi, 404/843-7872 SOURCE: Cox Communications