{"id":337316,"date":"2025-11-07T13:46:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/?p=337316"},"modified":"2025-11-07T13:46:56","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T18:46:56","slug":"keep-americans-connected-internet-providers-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/keep-americans-connected-internet-providers-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Major Internet Provider Just Dropped Fees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As daily life has stabilized, people across the U.S. continue to depend on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/best\/\">broadband internet<\/a> for work, school, telehealth, and social connection. National surveys show roughly 9 in 10 U.S. households reported a home broadband subscription in 2023 (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.census.gov\/table?q=S2801\">American Community Survey<\/a>). Remote and hybrid work have also reset demand: about 28\u201330% of paid workdays are from home in 2025, a many\u2011fold increase over pre\u20112020 levels (<a href=\"https:\/\/wfhresearch.com\/\">WFH Research<\/a>). Average household data usage has climbed accordingly, surpassing 600 GB per month by 2024 and continuing to rise (<a href=\"https:\/\/openvault.com\">OpenVault Broadband Insights<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>More than 800 broadband and wireless companies participated in the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s voluntary <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Keep Americans Connected (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\" target=\"_blank\">Keep Americans Connected<\/a> pledge announced in March 2020. During the emergency period (formally ending June 30, 2020), signatories committed to temporary measures that prioritized continuity of service for households and small businesses affected by COVID\u201119.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>not to terminate services due to missed or late payments related to COVID-19<\/li><li>late fees will be waived<\/li><li>free access to WiFi hotspots nationwide.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cBroadband will enable people to communicate with their loved ones and doctors, telework, ensure their children can engage in remote learning, and \u2014 importantly \u2014 take part in the \u2018social distancing\u2019 that will be so critical to limiting the spread of this novel coronavirus,\u201d Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said in a news release.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-background\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The largest broadband providers and the rise of fixed wireless home internet<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/comcast-xfinity-review\/\">Comcast (Xfinity)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/att-review\/\">AT&amp;T<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/centurylink-review\/\">CenturyLink<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/charter-communications-review\/\">Charter Communications (Spectrum)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/hughesnet-review\/\">HughesNet<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/cox-communications-review\/\">Cox Communications<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/frontier-review\/\">Frontier Communications<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/verizon-review\/\">Verizon<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/mediacom-review\/\">Mediacom<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why internet access is essential during a pandemic \u2014 and after<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s evidence shows broadband is integral to daily life and economic participation. Using the FCC\u2019s updated 100\/20 Mbps benchmark adopted in 2024, more than 24 million people still lack access to fixed terrestrial broadband, with gaps concentrated in rural (~28%) and Tribal (~23%) areas (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\">FCC 2024 Broadband Progress Report<\/a>). Adoption is high overall \u2014 about 90% of U.S. households report a broadband subscription in 2023 (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.census.gov\/table?q=S2801\">ACS S2801<\/a>) \u2014 but it is highly income\u2011sensitive: households under roughly $25,000 are around 70% subscribed versus mid\u2011 to high\u201190% for $75,000+ (<a href=\"https:\/\/data.census.gov\/table?q=S2801&#038;y=2023\">ACS 2023<\/a>). Cost remains the top self\u2011reported reason for non\u2011adoption (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ntia.gov\/data\/digital-nation-data-explorer\">NTIA Internet Use Survey<\/a>). For early\u2011pandemic context on disparities, see this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/blog\/the-avenue\/2020\/03\/20\/as-classes-move-online-during-covid-19-what-are-disconnected-students-to-do\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"recent Brookings study (opens in a new tab)\">recent Brookings study<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200320_BrookingsMetro_Socialdistancing-School-Fig-02-1.png\" height=\"616\" width=\"768\"  alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-337321\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200320_BrookingsMetro_Socialdistancing-School-Fig-02-1.png 768w, https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200320_BrookingsMetro_Socialdistancing-School-Fig-02-1-300x241.png 300w, https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200320_BrookingsMetro_Socialdistancing-School-Fig-02-1-120x96.png 120w, https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200320_BrookingsMetro_Socialdistancing-School-Fig-02-1-42x34.png 42w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWithout the internet, people would not only have access to jobs, information but also their entire social network,\u201d Fishbane said. \u201cThose are things that are important after the coronavirus, too.\u201d In practice, lower\u2011income adults remain far less likely than higher\u2011income peers to have home broadband and are more likely to be smartphone\u2011only, reinforcing that affordability and device gaps \u2014 not just availability \u2014 drive today\u2019s divide (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ntia.gov\/data\/digital-nation-data-explorer\">NTIA<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/internet\/fact-sheet\/internet-broadband\/\">Pew Research Center<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What the FCC\u2019s pledge accomplished \u2014 and what replaced it: During spring 2020, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\">Keep Americans Connected<\/a> pledge broadly reduced shutoffs for nonpayment, waived late fees among signatories, and opened public Wi\u2011Fi hotspots, helping households stay connected during lockdowns. But KAC was voluntary and time\u2011limited; it did not erase accrued balances and ended June 30, 2020. The durable affordability response came later via the Emergency Broadband Benefit and then the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which enrolled more than 23 million households before benefits ended after May 2024 due to lack of funding (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\">FCC ACP<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usac.org\/about\/affordable-connectivity-program\/acp-enrollment-and-claims-tracker\/\">USAC tracker<\/a>). Advocacy groups also noted KAC\u2019s limits and post\u2011pledge shutoff risks (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.freepress.net\">Free Press<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In an ideal world, it should be easier than ever to access everything we need from home: school, work, exercise and social life. However, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\">FCC\u2019s latest deployment report<\/a> finds broadband is still not being deployed to all Americans in a \u201creasonable and timely\u201d fashion at today\u2019s 100\/20 Mbps benchmark, with more than 24 million lacking fixed access and the largest shortfalls in rural and Tribal areas. Earlier figures such as \u201c94% with access\u201d reflected the older 25\/3 Mbps standard; today\u2019s higher benchmark highlights remaining coverage and quality gaps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fishbane was optimistic that society is learning from this experience. \u201cMany people have tried to say broadband is a luxury good, and if this doesn\u2019t prove that broadband is essential and something that everybody should have access to, then I don\u2019t know what will. But I hope that it\u2019s making that case right now.\u201d Meanwhile, access continues to expand through multiple technologies: fiber upgrades toward multi\u2011gig PON, cable HFC improvements with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cablelabs.com\/technologies\/docsis-4-0-technology\">DOCSIS 4.0<\/a>, fast\u2011growing 5G fixed wireless access (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ericsson.com\/en\/reports-and-papers\/mobility-report\">Ericsson Mobility Report<\/a>), and new satellite\u2011cellular integrations enabled by the FCC\u2019s Supplemental Coverage from Space framework (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\">FCC SCS<\/a>). In\u2011home performance is also advancing with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wi-fi.org\/news-events\/newsroom\/wi-fi-alliance-introduces-wi-fi-certified-7\">Wi\u2011Fi 7<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A few ISPs going the extra mile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond the emergency period, many providers maintain discounted plans and simplified, no\u2011contract options to keep costs predictable, alongside public buildout funding such as the federal <a href=\"https:\/\/internetforall.gov\/program\/broadband-equity-access-and-deployment-bead-program\">BEAD program<\/a>. Competition has also broadened: fixed wireless home internet from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.t-mobile.com\/home-internet\">T\u2011Mobile<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verizon.com\/5g\/home\/\">Verizon<\/a> offers flat, equipment\u2011included pricing (typically $50\u2013$60) with no data caps, complementing cable and fiber choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Comcast is improving its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.internetessentials.com\">Internet Essentials package<\/a>, for example, which provides broadband to low-income households at entry\u2011level pricing with no annual contract, alongside a faster Internet Essentials Plus tier. Comcast has also introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.xfinity.com\/now\">NOW Internet<\/a>, a prepaid\u2011style, no\u2011credit\u2011check option designed to minimize upfront barriers and let customers start or stop service easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For K-12 students and college students who don\u2019t have internet access, Charter is offering <a href=\"https:\/\/corporate.charter.com\/newsroom\/charter-to-offer-free-access-to-spectrum-broadband-and-wifi-for-60-days-for-new-K12-and-college-student-households-and-more\">free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi<\/a> for the next two months. Charter said installation fees will be waived with this temporary offer.&nbsp;Today, Charter\u2019s ongoing low\u2011cost option for eligible households is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spectrum.com\">Spectrum Internet Assist<\/a>, which includes a modem, no data caps, and no annual contract (in\u2011home WiFi may be an added fee).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Over 500 broadband and telecom companies have pledged to &#8220;keep Americans connected&#8221; during the coronavirus crisis by waiving late fees and disconnections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":345,"featured_media":337318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[21563],"tags":[],"post_author":[9088],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Every Major Internet Provider Just Dropped Fees - Reviews.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Over 500 broadband and telecom companies have pledged to &quot;keep Americans connected&quot; during the coronavirus crisis by waiving late fees and disconnections.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/keep-americans-connected-internet-providers-coronavirus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Every Major Internet Provider Just Dropped Fees - Reviews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Over 500 broadband and telecom companies have pledged to &quot;keep Americans connected&quot; during the coronavirus crisis by waiving late fees and disconnections.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/keep-americans-connected-internet-providers-coronavirus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Reviews.com\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Reviewscom\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-07T18:46:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/GettyImages-1032765306.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"971\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Reviews Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Reviews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Reviews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Reviews Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/keep-americans-connected-internet-providers-coronavirus\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Every Major Internet Provider Just Dropped Fees\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/\",\"name\":\"Reviews.com\",\"description\":\"Your Guide to the Best Services\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Every Major Internet Provider Just Dropped Fees - Reviews.com","description":"Over 500 broadband and telecom companies have pledged to \"keep Americans connected\" during the coronavirus crisis by waiving late fees and disconnections.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/keep-americans-connected-internet-providers-coronavirus\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Every Major Internet Provider Just Dropped Fees - Reviews.com","og_description":"Over 500 broadband and telecom companies have pledged to \"keep Americans connected\" during the coronavirus crisis by waiving late fees and disconnections.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/keep-americans-connected-internet-providers-coronavirus\/","og_site_name":"Reviews.com","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Reviewscom\/","article_published_time":"2025-11-07T18:46:56+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1440,"height":971,"url":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/GettyImages-1032765306.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Reviews Staff","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Reviews","twitter_site":"@Reviews","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Reviews Staff","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/utilities\/internet\/keep-americans-connected-internet-providers-coronavirus\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Every Major Internet Provider Just Dropped Fees"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/","name":"Reviews.com","description":"Your Guide to the Best Services","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337316"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/345"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=337316"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/337316\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/337318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=337316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=337316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=337316"},{"taxonomy":"post_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reviews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_author?post=337316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}