Amid coronavirus, Comcast makes Wi-Fi network free, expands unlimited data to all
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With businesses and schools closed and thousands of residents now working and studying from home during the coronavirus outbreak, Comcast announced Saturday it will make its Xfinity Wi-Fi services free for everyone for the next 60 days.
“During this extraordinary time, it is vital that as many Americans as possible stay connected to the internet — for education, work, and personal health reasons,” Comcast Cable Chief Executive Officer Dave Watson said in a company statement. “Our employees also live and work in virtually every community we serve, and we all share the same belief that it’s our Company’s responsibility to step up and help out.”
Comcast has made its Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots across the country free for anyone who needs them, including non-Xfinity customers. For a map of Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots, click here. After finding a hotspot, customers should select the “xfinitywifi” network and launch a browser.
In addition, Comcast also announced it is pausing all data plans for 60 days, giving all customers unlimited data at no additional charge.
The company also said it would not be disconnecting a customer’s internet service or assess late fees “if they contact us and let us know that they can’t pay their bills during this period. Our care teams will be available to offer flexible payment options and can help find other solutions.”
For current Internet Essentials customers, Comcast is boosting speeds to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream at no extra charge. The company said it will become the new base speed for the program going forward.
In addition to Comcast’s offering, AT&T and Charter Communications also said they would offer free public Wi-Fi for 60 days. Charter’s Spectrum service includes 44 states, with the largest coverage in California, Texas and New York.
Verizon announced it would temporarily hold off on any late fees and disconnections, while T-Mobile said all current subscribers would have unlimited smartphone data.
Cox Communications said it was boosting speeds on low-cost broadband plans, while Sprint said subscribers would have unlimited data for 60 days.