Verizon, AT&T and other major carriers have extended their pledges to refrain from cutting off service or imposing late fees through June 30, for residential and small business customers. The carriers’ original commitments, which included free WiFi hot spots, last until the middle of May. The exceptions apply to customers impacted financially by the coronavirus pandemic.
In March, the FCC said major wireless and internet providers – including Verizon (VZ.N), Comcast (CCZ.N), AT&T (T.N), T-Mobile US (TMUS.O) and Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O) Google Fiber – agreed not to terminate service for subscribers for 60 days. In total, more than 700 companies have now agreed to the voluntary measures, according to the agency.
Cox Communications will extend its commitment not to cancel service or charge late fees through June 30, and to keep open its Cox WiFi hotspots. U.S. Cellular (USM.N) said it will extend through July 31, some consumer actions, including providing some customers with extra hotspot data and eliminating data limits on high-speed internet plans, Reuters reported.
Comcast said in addition to extending the commitment through June 30, and making its WiFi hotspots available for anyone who needs them, it would extend a pause in its data plans to give all customers unlimited data for no additional charge.
Other major U.S. internet companies are expected to announce this week they too, are extending commitments through June, and beyond the end of the school year, according to the account. More than 50 million American children remain at home, with most attending schools virtually, sources said.
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