ISPs Altering Service Strategies for Coronavirus

In light of the coronavirus outbreak that swiftly swept across the globe, there have been efforts made by many telecommunications companies to make life easier for their customers. These customers are likely holed up at home, working remotely if possible. One way or another, they are going to want Internet access, and in a show of solidarity, numerous ISPs and cell carriers are delivering.

Here, we’ll provide a quick list of what each provider is offering during the pandemic at the time of writing this.

AT&T

• Late payments are no longer subject to fees or termination of service
• AT&T hotspots are now accessible to the public
• Data caps and overage fees have been eliminated

Comcast

• Late payments are no longer subject to fees or termination of service
• Comcast hotspots are now accessible to the public
• The 1TB data cap has been paused
• Data speeds have risen to 25/3 megabits per second
• All new and existing customers of the Internet Essentials plan get two months of free service

Spectrum

• Households with school/college-aged kids can get two months of 100Mbps broadband and Wi-Fi free of charge for 60 days
• Spectrum hotspots are now accessible to the public

T-Mobile (Including Sprint, After Their Merger)

• Late payments are no longer subject to fees or termination of service
• Customers get unlimited data and 20GB of hotspot data
• Select countries impacted by COVID-19 can be called for free

Verizon

• Late payments are no longer subject to fees or termination of service for residences or small businesses
• Verizon hotspots are now accessible to the public
• The transition to 5G service is also being accelerated

Keep in mind that most of these changes are likely only going to apply for the time that the coronavirus continues to impact daily life, although the predictable frustration of returning to the status quo may be enough to sway these providers into making these changes permanent. Time will only tell.