The COVID-19 virus has become a worldwide pandemic. Governments across the globe have called for people to quarantine at home to help from spreading the virus. School systems and employers have responded to the CDC and WHO recommendations that they work from home during the pandemic. This poses problems for some individuals who do not have internet service at home.
Charter Communications and Comcast have responded to the problem of low-income households not having access to the internet.
Starting today, Charter will be offering households with K-12 and/or college students broadband for free for the next two months (any service level up to 100 megabits per second). They must not already have a Charter Spectrum broadband service agreement.
To enroll in Charter’s free-broadband program, eligible consumers must call (844) 488-8395. The company said it will waive installation fees for new student households.
Also starting today, Comcast is offering free broadband to low-income families for 60 days amid the coronavirus crisis. The Internet Essentials program which is normally available to qualified households runs $9.95/month but will be free to low-income families that live in a Comcast service area Comcast says that they are also increasing the speed of their Internet Essentials service from 15/2 Mbps to 25/3 Mbps for all new and existing clients.
To qualify for Comcast’s Internet Essentials service, customers must be eligible for public assistance programs such as the National School Lunch Program, Housing Assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, or SSI. Applicants can visit internetessentials.com to enroll in the program; they may also call (855) 846-8376 for English or 855-765-6995 for Spanish.
AT&T has made a few promises to customers during COVID-19. They have promised to “Not terminate the service of any wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business customer because of their inability to pay their bill due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.” AT&T has also said that they will waive late payment fees for any wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business customer that is incurred due to hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to those pledges from AT&T, they decided to keep their public hotspots open to any American in need during this time.
AT&T is offering its unlimited home internet to all customers. They will continue to offer internet access for limited income families who qualify at a low cost of $10 per month. AT&T is also offering breaks to their business customers and helping schools with online learning initiatives. To learn more, visit https://about.att.com/pages/COVID-19.html.
