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Comcast, a GVF partner, has reached out to offer assistance to partners who have questions regarding Internet Essentials (particularly school districts and seniors), network health, customer experience changes, and other topics arising during this time.
Below is a letter from Comcast explaining its response to COVID-19 and contact information.
We’re all feeling the impact of COVID-19 – both personally and professionally. We know that connectivity matters right now more than ever, and millions of people across the globe are relying on us to help them work from home, access critical news and educational resources and, importantly, entertain and connect with their families during this difficult time.
As a leader in our community, we want to make sure you’re aware of the steps we’re taking to keep our customers connected, informed and supported as we get through this together.
We are continuing to focus on network reliability and performance. We are seeing an unprecedented shift in network usage, but it’s within the network’s capability and we continue to deliver the speeds and support the capacity our customers need while they are working, learning, and connecting from home. Learn more here.
Xfinity WiFi hotspots in business and outdoor locations across the country are available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers – and we are giving all Internet customers Unlimited data for no additional charge. We will not disconnect internet service or charge late fees for customers who can’t pay their bills during this period. Learn more here.
Internet Essentials, the largest and most comprehensive low-cost broadband adoption in the country, will be free for new low-income customers in our footprint for 60 days. We’ve also increased the base speed for the Internet Essentials service to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream for all new and existing customers going forward. Learn more here.
We’ve created new educational collections for all grade levels in partnership with Common Sense Media, as well as a collection of the most current news and information on Coronavirus on X1 and Flex. Both collections are easy to find by saying “Education” or “Coronavirus” into the X1 or Flex remote. Learn more here and here.
Universal Pictures will make its movies available in the home on the same day as their global theatrical releases. Titles including The Hunt, The Invisible Man and Emma are now available to rent on most popular on-demand services worldwide. DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World Tour will be available April 10th. Learn more here.
Coronavirus-themed The More You Know public service announcements are being developed with the Ad Council, CDC and White House that align with the CDC’s latest language. And NBCUniversal created a series of English and Spanish digital videos and social graphics to inform high-risk populations about preventative steps. Telemundo has also produced “Quedate en Casa” (“Stay home”), featuring on-air talent. Learn more here and here.
NBCUniversal is partnering with distribution partners to make MSNBC and CNBC available to all their video customers, regardless of the packages to which they subscribe. NBC and Telemundo owned stations are streaming local newscasts as well as coronavirus-related press conferences. And NBC News Now will feature programming drawing upon NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC, free to viewers. Learn more here.
We’re reaching out to thousands of our colleagues and partners across the country to help us spread the word to those who can benefit from these efforts. Important information and updates can be found here.
For assistance contact: Brian Jeter at Brian_Jeter@comcast.com.