As the coronavirus pandemic continues, companies from around the broadband and wireless industries have pledged to help keep consumers connected.
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced the Keep Americans Connected Pledge this week, which has companies make three commitments to ensure that people can stay online even if they encounter issues paying their bill during the coronavirus pandemic.
For the next 60 days, the companies who agreed to this pledge must:
- Not terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Waive any late fees that any residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Open its Wi-Fi hotspots to any American who needs them.
T-Mobile is among the companies that have taken Pai’s pledge. AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, and TracFone have also taken the pledge, and groups like the Rural Broadband Association, CTIA, and Competitive Carriers of America have all endorsed the pledge.
The coronavirus pandemic is sure to have an effect on a lot of people even if they don’t actually contract the virus. For example, lots of folks are now working from home and that can have an impact on people in the service industry. That can result in some people not getting paid as much as they normally would, and so the Keep America Connected Pledge is aimed at ensuring that those people can still say connected to their loved ones and the world, even if they have issues paying their bill.
Here’s the full list of companies and groups that’ve signed on to the FCC’s Keep America Connected Pledge:
Companies
- ACIRA – Powered by Farmers Mutual Telephone Company & Federated Telephone
- Allstream Business US
- AlticeUSA
- Antietam Broadband
- Atlantic Broadband
- AT&T
- BBT
- BOYCOM Vision
- Burlington Telecom
- Cable One
- Central Arkansas Telephone Cooperative
- CenturyLink
- Charter
- Cincinnati Bell
- Citizens Connected
- Comcast
- Consolidated Communications
- Cox Communications
- Digital West
- East Ascension Telephone Company
- Education Networks of America
- Emery Telecom
- Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative
- FirstLight
- Frontier
- Google Fiber
- Grande Communications
- Granite Telecommunications
- Great Plains Communications
- GWI
- Hiawatha Broadband
- Hill Country
- IdeaTek Telcom
- Inteliquent
- Lafourche Telephone Company
- Lakeland Communications
- Long Lines Broadband
- Mammoth Networks/Visionary Broadband
- Mediacom
- MetTel
- Nex-Tech
- Ninestar Connect
- Northwest Fiber
- Orbitel Communications
- Pioneer Communications
- Premier Communications
- Range Telephone Cooperative
- RCN
- Reserve Telephone Company
- Sacred Wind Communications
- Shawnee Communications
- Socket Telecom
- Sonic
- Sprint
- Starry
- TDS Telecom
- TelNet Worldwide
- T-Mobile
- TracFone Wireless
- Uniti Fiber
- US Cellular
- Vast Broadband
- Verizon
- Vive Broadband Investments
- Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom
- Wave Broadband
- West Telecom Services
- Windstream
- ZenFi Networks
Groups
- ACA Connects
- Competitive Carriers of America
- CTIA
- INCOMPAS
- NCTA – The Internet and Television Association
- NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association
- USTelecom
- WISPA
Source: FCC