Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has unveiled a new initiative to help ensure that everyone in the U.S. has reliable broadband and telephone connectivity during the cornonavirus outbreak.
The Keep America Connected Pledge asks U.S. telephone and broadband service providers to agree to:
For a list of the companies that have agreed to this initiative, see below:
The Keep America Connected Pledge asks U.S. telephone and broadband service providers to agree to:
- For the next 60 days, open Wi-Fi hotspots to all Americans who need them
- Not terminate any services (home or small business) for those who can’t pay their bills due to the pandemic
- Waive any late fees those customers might incur due to economic disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
For a list of the companies that have agreed to this initiative, see below:
Here is a complete list of all the companies that have agreed to the 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
- ACA Connects
- Competitive Carriers of America
- CTIA
- INCOMPAS
- NCTA – The Internet and Television Association
- NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association
- USTelecom
- WISPA
In addition to taking part in the Keep America Connected Pledge, the following companies have also voluntarily added the following commitments:
Comcast - Will send all new Internet Essentials customers a free self-install kit that includes a cable modem with a Wi-Fi router, with no term contract or credit check and no shipping fee. Service is free for 60 days and is $9.95 a month after that. Comcast will also increase broadband speeds for low-income customers from 15 Mbps down to 25 Mbps down, and maintain those speeds moving forward. For more information on what Comcast is offering click here.
AT&T - Subscribers will see no data caps for at least 60 days.
Charter/Spectrum - Free Spectrum access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students. (does not include existing customers)
Sprint - Lifting its unlimited data caps for cell phone subscribers for a minimum of 60 days. Customers with international long distance calling plans will receive complimentary international calling rates from the United States to countries defined by the CDC as Level 3. Customers with metered data plans will receive unlimited data per month for 60 days at no extra cost and they will provide customers with an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot data per month for 60 days at no extra cost.
T-Mobile - Lifting its unlimited data caps for cell phone subscribers for a minimum of 60 days. They are also expanding roaming access for Sprint customers to use the T-Mobile network.
Comcast - Will send all new Internet Essentials customers a free self-install kit that includes a cable modem with a Wi-Fi router, with no term contract or credit check and no shipping fee. Service is free for 60 days and is $9.95 a month after that. Comcast will also increase broadband speeds for low-income customers from 15 Mbps down to 25 Mbps down, and maintain those speeds moving forward. For more information on what Comcast is offering click here.
AT&T - Subscribers will see no data caps for at least 60 days.
Charter/Spectrum - Free Spectrum access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students. (does not include existing customers)
Sprint - Lifting its unlimited data caps for cell phone subscribers for a minimum of 60 days. Customers with international long distance calling plans will receive complimentary international calling rates from the United States to countries defined by the CDC as Level 3. Customers with metered data plans will receive unlimited data per month for 60 days at no extra cost and they will provide customers with an additional 20GB of mobile hotspot data per month for 60 days at no extra cost.
T-Mobile - Lifting its unlimited data caps for cell phone subscribers for a minimum of 60 days. They are also expanding roaming access for Sprint customers to use the T-Mobile network.
I hope this information is helpful and I hope you all keep safe and healthy. I am one of those folks that stay prepared for emergencies, so I did not have to hit the stores in case of a lock down. Being prepared is so important, I hope this situation will help people to understand how necessary it is. If more people stayed prepared, we would not be having all the empty shelves at the stores.
Stay safe,
Jade :)
Stay safe,
Jade :)
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