VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY-BASED PROVIDERS
COVID-19 Telecommunications ResourcesUpdated 3-27-20Options for Member Phones, Minutes and DataThe VACBP is continuing our efforts to ensure your clients have access to the devices, minutes and data needed to receive behavioral health support via telehealth and/or by phone. ?We have learned from DMAS that there is a program called “Lifeline Assistance,” through which free government cell phones are available in Virginia.?Lifeline is a federal benefit offered by three entities that serve different geographic areas in Virginia and offer different plans with varying number of minutes and refill options. The companies offering this program include:Access WirelessAssuranceSafelink WirelessThose individuals who are eligible for the following programs are likely to also qualify for the Lifeline programs:Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps or SNAP)MedicaidSupplemental Security Income (SSI)Federal Public Housing Assistance (Section 8)Veterans Pension and Survivor's BenefitBureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance (BIA)Tribally Administered Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (Tribal TANF)Tribal Head Start (only those households meeting its income qualifying standard)Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR)Those with?total household income at or under 135% of the Federal Poverty GuidelinesIf individuals qualify for Lifeline Assistance but find that none of the companies above offer free government cell phones where they live, there are other companies that also offer Lifeline discounts off their regular mobile phone plans. These include: HYPERLINK "" AT&T (see below for details) HYPERLINK "" T-MobileU.S. CellularVerizon (see below for details)We’ve also be told some members may have additional benefits?under this program depending on their health plan. Additional information about telecommunications resources is provided below.AT&TAT&T is planning on being here to help you stay connected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We recognize that staying in touch with your family, friends, school and work has never been more important. Below are a few ways we’re helping consumers, small businesses and enterprises across the country.Consistent with FCC Chairman Pai’s “Keep Americans Connected Pledge” and concerns raised by members of Congress, which we share, AT&T is proud to support our customers by pledging that, for 60 days, we will:Not terminate the service of any wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business customer because of their inability to pay their bill due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.Waive any late payment fees that any wireless, home phone or broadband residential or small business customer may incur because of economic hardship related to the coronavirus pandemic.Waive domestic plan overage charges for data, voice or text for residential or small business wireless customers incurred because of economic hardship related to the coronavirus pandemicKeep our public Wi-Fi hotspots open for any American who needs them.To provide further relief and support, AT&T announced:Unlimited AT&T Home Internet – All AT&T consumer home internet wireline customers, as well as Fixed Wireless Internet, can use unlimited internet data. Additionally, we’ll continue to o?er internet access for qualifying limited income households at $10 a month through our Access from AT&T program. We’ve expanded eligibility to Access from AT&T to households participating in the National School Lunch Program and Head Start. Additionally, we’re o?ering new Access from AT&T customers two months of free service.Helping You Work and Learn Remotely – Businesses, universities and schools can keep their teams and classrooms connected through conference calls and video conferencing with Cisco Webex Meetings with AT&T for 90-days, and seamlessly forward calls to both mobile and landline phones with AT&T IP Flexible Reach. Distance Learning – We’ve created a new Distance Learning and Family Connections Fund to give parents, students and teachers tools they need for at-home learning. The fund also will provide resources to maintain meaningful connections and bonding opportunities for those isolated from family and friends. Our ?rst contribution of $1 million will go to Khan Academy. This collaboration will improve and expand online learning resources to meet growing demand from parents, teachers and students, including those who rely on free resources and need Khan Academy the most. It will also support the development of new resources designed speci?cally for COVID-19 school closures.AT&T is underwriting expenses for a “one-stop” resource center to support eLearning Days from the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) available to all educators in schools to help them handle school closures and the increase in virtual learning due to COVID-19.Serving Those who Serve – AT&T is redirecting more resources to provide communication services and tools for ?rst responders, health care professionals, educators and other essential customers. This additional support will help ensure these customers can continue providing critical support to the country and their communities, particularly to ?rst responders using the FirstNet network.As ?rst responders across the country stand on the front lines to support our nation’s response to COVID-19, they can have con?dence knowing that with FirstNet they’ll have the unthrottled connectivity and priority communications they need to respond during this public health emergency. It’s this type of unparalleled emergency support that distinguishes FirstNet, the only nationwide wireless broadband communications platform dedicated to America’s ?rst responders and public safety community, from best-e?ort commercial wireless networks built for consumer use.Extending Paid Leave for our Employees – As we continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 on our business, our people and our communities, we recognize some of our employees have speci?c needs and cannot ful?ll their roles either at the workplace or from home during this time – so we want to continue to help. We are extending our original 80 hours of paid, excused time o? to up to a total of 160 hours for the following scenarios:Employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 and remain quarantined.Employees who are at higher risk due to an underlying health condition (60+, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, cancer).Parents or guardians of children whose schools or daycares have closed for COVID-19 and for whom another child care option is not yet available.Primary caregiver for someone diagnosed with COVID-19 who is unable to provide self-care.We are grateful for what our employees are doing to deliver on the important responsibility of taking care of our nation’s ?rst responders and FirstNet subscribers, healthcare providers, government leaders, educators and critical businesses as they turn to us for support through this unpredictable storm.Reducing Retail Locations – Due to coronavirus, we will begin to close additional AT&T stores across the nation, signi?cantly reducing our retail footprint to a minimum number of locations required to serve ?rst responders, healthcare workers, government users and our customers. Where possible, we will keep at least one retail location open within a 20-mile radius in urban and suburban areas, and just over a 30-mile radius in rural areas. To locate a retail store that will remain open to serve your area, please visit our store tracker at stores.Visit AT&T’s dedicated COVID-19 website for additional details and the latest castXfinity WiFi Free For Everyone: Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country will be available to anyone who needs them for free – including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit wifi. Once at a hotspot, consumers should select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots, and then launch a browser.Pausing Our Data Plan: With so many people working and educating from home, we want our customers to access the internet without thinking about data plans. While the vast majority of our customers do not come close to using 1TB of data in a month, we are pausing our data plans for 60 days giving all customers Unlimited data for no additional charge.No Disconnects or Late Fees: We will not disconnect 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.Internet Essentials Free to New Customers: As announced yesterday, it’s even easier for low income families who live in a Comcast service area to sign-up for Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program. New customers will receive 60 days of complimentary Internet Essentials service, which is normally available to all qualified low-income households for $9.95/month. Additionally, for all new and existing Internet Essentials customers, the speed of the program’s Internet service was increased to 25 Mbps downstream and 3 Mbps upstream. That increase will go into effect for no additional fee and it will become the new base speed for the program going forward.? .CoxNew Connect2Compete customers will receive their twos month of service freeSpeeds will increase from 25/3 Mbps to 50/3 MbpsExpedited qualification of new families wishing to participate in the program.A $19.99 offer for new Starter internet customers with a temporary boost up to 50 Mbps download speeds, no annual contract or qualifications to help low income and those impacted from Coronavirus challenges, like seniors and college studentsEliminating data usage overages beginning today to meet the higher bandwidth demands. Customers with a 500 GB or Unlimited data usage add-on plan will receive credits.Cox also announced support for the FCC’s Keep America Connected initiative as part of the company’s ongoing response effortsNot terminate service to any residential or small business customer because of inability to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemicWaive any late fees that any residential or small business customer incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus pandemicOpen Cox WiFi hotspots to help keep the public connected in this time of need.All of our measures related to? COVID-19 can be found here.Verizon overage charges and late fees to support customers who may be financially affected by the COVID-19 crisisProvide two months waived internet and voice service charges for current Lifeline customers and new affordable internet option for low-income householdsAdd 15GB of high-speed data for wireless consumer and small business customers to be automatically applied with no customer action necessaryProvide first responders with priority and preemption abilities for voice and dataConsumer and small business Fios and DSL broadband internet plans have no data capsNew internet option for low-income householdsTo help families during this time of need, today Verizon announced plans for a discount program on Fios broadband plans for qualified new low-income customers and two months waived service charges for current Verizon customers that are part of?the Lifeline discount program.“We understand the hardships that many of our customers are facing, and we’re doing our part to ensure they have broadband internet connectivity during this unprecedented time,” said Ronan Dunne, CEO Verizon Consumer Group. “With so many Americans working and learning remotely from home, having access to reliable and affordable internet is more important than ever before.”To help existing Lifeline customers, Verizon will waive the next two billing cycles of Lifeline-qualified home service charges across both home broadband and home voice. To be eligible, you must have a Lifeline discount on a broadband or home voice line of service as of March 20, 2020.In addition, on April 3, we’re making a new broadband discount program available to new Fios Internet customers who qualify through the Lifeline program. Customers may select any Verizon Fios speed in our Mix & Match plans and receive a $20 discount per month. That means new customers can get Fios Home Internet 200/200Mbps service for just $19.99/mo, with Disney+ on us for one year and the first two months of their router rental charge waived. Customers will also qualify for any additional promotions available for new Fios Home Internet subscribers.As part of this new program, eligible new customers can receive:$20 off?any?Fios Home Internet Mix & Match plan, as reflected below with discounts applied:200/200 Mbps for $19.99/mo400/400 Mbps for $39.99/moGigabit Connection for $59.99/mo (includes Fios router)Router rental charge waived for 60 days as part of the Verizon COVID-19 response (customers may also choose to buy or bring their own router).One year of Disney+ on us.Any additional in-market offers for new Fios customers at time of purchase, including gift cards, content or equipment.Mobile + Home Rewards benefits: customers with Verizon postpaid mobile service can enroll through Verizon Up for additional benefits and discounts.To learn more about Verizon’s Lifeline program or apply, visit our Lifeline page?here.?QLink WirelessInformation is available here: ?? ................
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