Internet Service Providers Update for April 2020

Updated: 04/16/20 11:18 am

Spectrum Goes Down Again

In what is seemingly now a regular occurrence, Charter Spectrum internet service went down Friday evening affecting areas from Hatteras to Corolla on the Outer Banks.   When asked about the cause of the outage, Spectrum stated that they were still unaware of the cause or when service might be restored.  Given most Americans are now practicing social distancing which means more time at home and online, this could not have happened a a worse time.  Customers in the Outer Banks may be wondering, what other service options exist and shouting at their Alexa or Siri “internet providers near me”.  To find the answer to that question one need look no further than Konecteaze.com to find the answer and the best deals in your area on internet, tv, phone and home security services.  

FCC Ask Internet Service Providers To Help Consumers Amid Coronavirus disruption

In an unprecedented move, 69 internet service providers have pledged that for the next 60 days they will not disconnect any of their customers if they are not able to pay their bill.  This move is in response to the economic strain that the Covid-19 ( Coronavirus) pandemic may place on Americans.  Given the fact that social distancing is the new norm, we can only assume that social media nearing will take place which means internet activity will surge.   

FCC’s “Keep Americans Connected Pledge” has several major goals which include

·       Loosen data caps

·       Waive any overage fees or long distance fees for phone service

·       Prioritize bandwidth of health providers and hospitals

·       Expanding the reach of internet based physicians also known as telemedicine

·       Enhancing ‘Lifeline” which is the FCC’s programmed focused on making sure low-income Americans have access to fast, reliable internet service.

·       Not terminate residential or small business customers service due to non-payment for at least 60 days.  

·       Open up public Wifi service so that customers will not have to pay to use internet service in public 

Although this pledge seems promising and many ISP’s have chosen to participate, many have not yet made any moves which could prove to be a big mistake when customers nowadays have more internet options than ever before.  

Below you will find a full list of internet providers that have chosen to abide by the pledge that the FCC put forth: 

ACIRA – Powered by Farmers Mutual Telephone Company & Federated Telephone, Allstream Business US, Altice USA which is commonly known as Suddenlink, Antietam Broadband, Atlantic Broadband which services much of the southeast, AT&T, BBT, BOYCOM Vision, Burlington, Spectrum Telecom, Cable One, Central Arkansas Telephone Cooperative, CenturyLink, Charter, Cincinnati Bell, Citizens Connected, Comcast, Consolidated Communications, Cox Communications, Digital West, East Ascension Telephone Company, Education Networks of America, Emery Telecom, Farmers Telecommunications Cooperative, FirstLight, Frontier, Google Fiber, Grande Communications, Granite Telecommunications, Great Plains Communications, GWI, Hiawatha Broadband, Hill Country, IdeaTek Telcom, Inteliquent, Lafourche Telephone Company, Lakeland Communications, Long Lines Broadband, Mammoth Networks/Visionary Broadband, Mediacom, MetTel, Nex-Tech, Ninestar Connect, Northwest Fiber, Orbitel Communications, Pioneer Communications, Premier Communications, Range Telephone Cooperative, RCN, Reserve Telephone Company, Sacred Wind Communications, Shawnee Communications, Socket Telecom, Sonic, Sprint, Starry, TDS Telecom, TelNet Worldwide, T-Mobile, TracFone Wireless, Uniti Fiber, US Cellular, Vast Broadband, Verizon, Vyve Broadband Investments, Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom, Wave Broadband, West Telecom Services, Windstream, and ZenFi Networks.

As the list grows, we will be sure to update it.

Comcast Hotspots Will be Free

Along with pausing all data caps on their services, Comcast Xfinity wifi will now be available across the country for free to anyone who wants to access it.  Here is a link to their map to find out if there is a hotspot near you Xfinity Wifi Map

The Average Cable Bill is Now Over $200

In a report put out by Decisiondata.org, the average cable bill is now a whopping $217 dollars.  This bill represents bundled services for both cable tv and internet.  What makes this stat most surprising is that the introductory offer most customers received when starting service with their cable provider was probably half of that or less.  This is a major reason why many consumers are cutting the cord.  Don’t just run and pick up a pair of scissors just yet, when you cut cable and add a bunch of streaming services your bill could potentially be equal or higher.  The best thing to do is figure out which programming options you can’t live without and subscribe to those services.  Most Americans are finding a mix of a light cable package along with one or two streaming services does the trick.  

Cable Companies Aren’t Alone in Providing Relief

In yet another move to help with customers impacted by the strain on our economy due to the coronavirus, it looks like Gas and Electricity companies are following suit and holding off on any disconnects of their service for non-payment.  For more information on rates and availability of service providers, head over to TexasElectricityRatingsto find the best deals and service in your area.