After promising 60 days with out data caps and overage charges for all clients, Comcast has determined to lengthen the data-cap waiver until at least June 30.

Comcast introduced the data-cap waiver on March 13, saying the waiver would final until Could 13 to assist clients cope with the pandemic. In the present day, Comcast mentioned it should lengthen the data-cap waiver and different pandemic-related modifications “via June 30 to assist guarantee college students can end out the varsity yr from residence and stay related to the Web in the course of the COVID-19 disaster.”

Additionally prolonged to June 30 is Comcast’s promise not to disconnect Web, cell, or residence telephone service and to waive late charges if clients “contact us and tell us that they can not pay their payments throughout this era.”

Comcast additionally beforehand made its $10-per-month Web Necessities plan free to new low-income clients for 2 months. With at the moment’s announcement, that provide for brand spanking new low-income clients will stay on the desk until June 30. Moreover, Comcast will preserve its Wi-Fi hotspots open to anybody who wants them via June 30.

“Our providers have by no means been extra essential, and we’re doing every little thing we will to preserve folks related to the Web,” Comcast cable-division CEO Dave Watson mentioned.

Usually, Comcast imposes its 1TB month-to-month data cap in 27 states however not in the Northeast United States the place Comcast faces robust competitors from Verizon’s uncapped fiber-to-the-home FiOS service. In capped areas, Comcast costs an additional $10 for every extra block of 50GB, or $50 extra every month for limitless data. Dwelling Web utilization has gone up in the course of the pandemic, however Comcast mentioned just lately that its community has sufficient capability to deal with the surge.

Verizon extends no-disconnection pledge

Verizon at the moment prolonged a pledge to preserve clients related via June 30. “This implies we’ll neither terminate service nor cost late charges to our postpaid wi-fi, residential, and small enterprise clients that notify us of their incapacity to pay their payments due to disruptions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic,” Verizon mentioned. Prospects should contact Verizon to keep away from shedding service if they can not pay their payments.

Verizon mentioned final week that it is giving wi-fi clients an additional 15GB of data in Could.

Greater than 700 suppliers have signed the FCC’s “Maintain People Related” pledge, which incorporates not terminating service to clients who can not pay due to the pandemic, waiving late charges for patrons affected by the pandemic, and opening Wi-Fi hotspots to the general public.

Like Comcast, AT&T went past the FCC pledge to additionally waive data caps on residence Web service in the course of the pandemic. However AT&T hasn’t introduced whether or not it should lengthen its cap waiver previous Could 13.

Replace: AT&T introduced it should proceed to waive overage costs for postpaid wi-fi clients until June 30, however did not say whether or not it should lengthen the cap-waiver for residence Web service. Like Verizon, AT&T prolonged its no-disconnection pledge until June 30.