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COVID 19 Vendor Response & Scam Awareness Notification # 2

FCC Initiative

The Keep Americans Connected Initiative

Launched on March 13th, this initiative states:

  • Not terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic;
  • Waive any late fees that any residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemic; and
  • Open its Wi-Fi hotspots to any American who needs them.
So far, more than 700 companies and associations have signed up on the Keep Americas Connected pledge.

This listing includes AireSpring, Allstream, Altice Business, AT&T, CenturyLink, Comcast, Cox, Crown Castle, Frontier, Fusion, GeoLinks, Lingo, Logix Fiber Networks, RCN, Grande, Wave, Silver Star Telecom, Sonic, Spectrum Business, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon, Viasat, Windstream Enterprise and WOW! Business.

The FCC website https://www.fcc.gov/keep-americans-connected has a list of all Telecom vendors that have made this pledge.

Allstream
  • Customer Service/Account Executive is here to assist with any payments or issues with the account.
  • Have Disaster Recovery plans enacted for employees and services.
  • Check out their Customer Bulletins at https://allstream.com/category/customer-bulletins/
Altice Business
  • Has signed the Keep Americans Connected Pledge and has extended their commitment to it through June 30:
  • Customers who need assistance during this time will need to contact Customer Care for payment options.

Subsidiaries

COMCAST
  • Technology and Engineering teams monitoring network 24/7 for continued performance, running 700k+ diagnostic speed test most days.
  • New Customers will receive 60 days complimentary Internet Essentials services (Internet Adoption program for low-income households).
  • Permanently increased speeds of all new and existing Internet Essentials customers.
  • Unlimited Data
  • No Disconnect or late fees for Xfinity Internet & Xfinity Mobile Customers- will not disconnect internet or mobile service or asses late fees if the customer contacts them and lets them know they cannot pay the bills during this period. Customer Care will offer Flex Plans and other solutions. Additional information can be found at https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/covid-19#fees
  • Comcast Business Customers -Advised to schedule a payment online with a date that is convenient and offers other business solutions to assist. Further information can be found at https://business.comcast.com/response
Cox
  • Has signed the Keep Americans Connected Pledge and has extended their commitment to it from May 12th through June 30.
  • Cox is offering the following through July 15:
  • Free Connect2Compete service, Cox’s low-cost internet product for families with school-aged children who are enrolled in low-income assistance programs.
  • Customers must sign up before May 15 to qualify.
  • All new customers that have enrolled since March 13 will receive free service through July 15.
  • Upgraded speeds of 50 Mbps download for residential customers in the company’s Starter, StraightUp Internet and Connect2Compete packages.
  • For those tiers, free Cox Complete Care phone and remote desktop support for residential customers providing assistance for loading new applications they may need to use during this time like online classroom support applications and web conferencing services.
Frontier
  • Monitoring bandwidth and other network statics to manage the network.
  • Offers Self Help Resources (ie. Managing online accounts).
  • For Commercial Customers, has various cloud-based solutions for workforce connectivity.
  • Has helpful Scam tips as well as links to important resources like CDC, The FTC Coronavirus Resources and WHO.
Fusion
  • Business Continuity Plan is activated – Support available 24/7 and workforce is focused on ensuring uninterrupted service.
  • Offering remote work solutions at https://www.fusionconnect.com/solutions/need/remote-workforce/
  • Advises to monitor local, state, and federal government websites as well as www.cdc.gov to help with safety and awareness of the latest information on Coronavirus.
Logix Fiber Networks
  • Has signed the Keep America Connected Pledge.
  • Network Operating Center (NOC) staffed and prepared to meet the increased network demands.
  • Actively following guidelines from WHO, CDC and monitoring other guidance in specific graphical regions.
  • Texas Connected Business Program - As of April 22nd, offering 6 months of free business internet, voice and data products to non-profits and social services organizations in the service area.
  • Free 6 Months of Service – New customers can get 6 months of free service on business Internet and voice services to help ease concerns around payments and cash flow in the coming months.
  • Free Double the Bandwidth – New customers can get double the bandwidth on dedicated Internet access orders to help keep remote workforces connected to applications and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).
  • “First-in-line” Priority for Charitable and Social Service Organizations – Are recognized as high demand and are granted priority access and expedited service and installation by calling our hotline at 281-336-9006.
  • Drastically Reduced Wavelength Pricing – Special limited time offers to help customers securely transport large amounts of data quickly and efficiently between data centers, carrier hotels and enterprise locations. Special monthly pricing includes 1 Gig wavelength at $600 and 10 Gig at $999 for both legs.
  • Offer(s) are available April 1-May 31, 2020 for on-net, 36-month term, new customers and new billing products.

You can review the above information on https://logix.com/press/an-important-message-from-logix-ceo-matt-murphy and https://logix.com/press/texas-connected-business-program-extended-to-nonprofits-and-services

Sprint
  • Request if experiencing issues paying account due to COVID-19 pandemic, to contact Customer Care for assistance.
  • All online orders will get free next-day shipping and waived activation fees.
  • o Providing Unlimited data for 60 days to customers with metered data plans (Effective 3/18).
  • Giving 20 GB of free mobile hotspot to customers with hotspot-capable devices (Effective 3/18).
  • Waiving per-minute toll charges for international long-distance calls from the U.S. to CDC- defined Level 3 countries (Effective 3/17).
T-Mobile
  • Has signed the Keep Americans Connected Pledge and has extended their commitment to it from May 12th through June 30:
  • Customers who have already contacted T-Moble Customer Care about payment arrangements need to contact Customer Care after May 13th to get an extension through June 30th.
  • Data Caps – All customers as of March 13th have unlimited smart phone data for the next 60 days (excludes roaming).
  • Customers with Smartphone Mobile Hotspot can add 20GB of smartphone mobile hotspot (10GB per bill cycle for next 60 days) by adding the COVID-9 Response High Speed Smartphone Mobile Hotspot feature for each voice line. See COVID-19 page for more information.
Viasat
  • Per the website as of 3/16/2020- next 60 days will not:
  • Terminate any service to residential or business customers because of inability to pay due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Will waive any late fees that any residential or business customers may incur due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Open Wi-Fi hotspots to all.
Windstream
  • • Monitoring the information coming in from WHO and CDC.
  • • Monitoring bandwidth and other network statics to manage the network.
  • • Signed the Keep Americans Connected Pledge:
  • o Through June 30th, will not suspend service to residential and small business customers.
  • o Will waive any late fees because of customers’ economic circumstances related to COVID pandemic.
  • o Advised to contact Windstream to discuss available payment options.
WOW! Business
  • • Effective immediately and until May 12, will not disconnect essential services for customers or small businesses due to inability to pay due to COVID-19. The Customer must contact WOW Business to discuss payment and service options to prevent interruption of service.
  • • Effective immediately and until May 12, will waive any late fees for customers or small businesses due to COVID-19.
  • • Monitoring network to maintain stability due to increased usage.

REMEMBER

If you have already contacted your Telecommunications company and worked out an extension of your payment terms, please contact RadiusPoint so we may notate the account(s) in our system.

Scam Reminders!

If you receive a call at your site from someone claiming to be from your local Utility or Telecommunication company threatening immediate disconnection of services unless payment is made via Prepaid Gift/Debit card, Check or Debit card… Hang up!

Regardless if RadiusPoint pays your bills on your behalf or not, call us at (866) 382-1336 to report this. We will confirm the status of your accounts.

After you speak with us, you may want to speak with your Corporate office to see if you need to contact additional entities like your State’s Consumer Protection Office or Utility Commission.

RadiusPoint’s dedicated team is here for you during this time. We can help ease of your team’s burden by doing the following to assist:

  1. Contacting your wireless vendor to put any lines on suspend for workers that may have been furloughed or laid off.
  2. Review your wireless contracts for Business downturn clauses to assist with Early Termination fees.
  3. Assist with site relocations.
  4. Assist with suspending of telecom services not currently needed.
  5. Optimization of current services – we are currently reviewing all clients services to identify those that are not under contract. If you would like to have your services reviewed immediately, please contact us.
FACT- Scammers will attempt to get you in various ways- Phone, Email and In-Person visits.
  • Phone- Caller IDs can be manipulated to appear coming from the provider. Beware any call threatening immediate disconnection if payment not made right then.
  • Remember – Your provider will NEVER ask you for payment through Prepaid Gift/Debit card and will never ask for personal information unless YOU initiated the call.
  • Emails – Known as “phishing”. These are fake emails that look legit, complete with provider logo and link to the company’s website.
  • Double check the sender’s email address against any previous emails received from the company and to the company’s website. If it doesn’t add up, don’t click!
  • In-Person visits - An individual claiming to be from the provider will attempt to access your site due to “something being wrong” or offer assistance to “help you with your utilities” for a cash fee.
  • Remember – A Utility provider’s employee will be wearing a uniform and have a badge present (complete with name, company name and logo). They will also arrive in a marked company vehicle. If you still have doubts, take their information and call the provider using the number on your bill, not one provided to you at the door.

Credits:

Created with images by Jorge Salvador - "Telecomunnications" • Anders Krøgh Jørgensen - "untitled image" • NASA - "untitled image" • Blake Connally - "Code On" • Tarun Anand Giri - "Dark Life"