FCC: Big Internet Firms Agree to Not Cancel Service Over Next 60 Days

The Federal Communications Commission said Friday that major internet providers — including Comcast Corp., AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc.—- agreed not to terminate service for subscribers for the next 60 days if they are unable to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said after calls with more than 50 companies that they also agreed to waive any late fees residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic.

They also agreed to open Wi-Fi hotspots to anyone who needs them, the FCC said.

Millions more Americans are expected to work from home as employers and states urge people to telework to reduce the potential to spread the coronavirus outbreak.

Others agreeing to take part are Alphabet Inc.'s Google Fiber, Charter Communications Inc., CenturyLink Inc., Cox Communications, Sprint Corp., T-Mobile US Inc.

"As the coronavirus outbreak spreads and causes a series of disruptions to the economic, educational, medical and civic life of our country, it is imperative that Americans stay connected," Pai said in a statement. "Broadband will enable them to communicate with their loved ones and doctors, telework, ensure their children can engage in remote learning."

FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, praised the companies adopting the pledge, but said the FCC should do more.

She called on the commission to "provide hotspots for loan for students whose school doors have closed" and should "work with health care providers to ensure connectivity for telehealth services are available for hospitals, doctors, and nurses treating coronavirus patients and those who are quarantined."

Pai also said he had asked providers that offer low-income consumers lower-speed cheaper service to increase speeds and expand eligibility. Comcast said Thursday it was raising its speeds for all its low-income users, while AT&T said it was waiving data caps for consumers that have plans with usage caps.

Pai also wants broadband providers to relax their data cap policies and for "telephone carriers to waive long-distance and overage fees in appropriate circumstances, on those that serve schools and libraries to work with them on remote learning opportunities, and on all network operators to prioritize the connectivity needs of hospitals and healthcare providers."

Internet firms and associations express confidence that U.S. networks can withstand the predicted jump in traffic.

The trade group U.S. Telecom said in a letter to Congress on Friday that in areas where workers are being told to stay home the group has "not observed time shifted traffic exceeding peak network capacity."

Verizon, which confirmed it was taking part in the pledge, said as of "it has not seen any measurable increase in data usage on any of its networks." More than 60% of U.S. network traffic is video and content streaming.