Verizon Pitching $19.95 DSL

Verizon Communications Inc. said Monday that it is cutting the initial price of digital-subscriber-line service to $19.95 per month for new customers.

Verizon -- which had charged $29.95 per month to customers who signed one-year contracts -- didn’t go as far as SBC Communications Inc. did last month in cutting the initial DSL monthly tab to $14.95 for the first year. The Verizon offer only covers the first three months on an annual plan.

Verizon is also waiving a $50 activation fee until July 27 and offering a free DSL modem and router to form a “home gateway.”