North Carolina Telecom Pledge

 

On Tuesday, March 31, Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein announced the Governor’s issuance of Executive Order 124 to protect North Carolinians’ access to water, power, gas, and other utility services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the executive order, the Governor empowered Attorney General Josh Stein to convene cable, telecommunications, and related service providers to identify measures to ensure continued access of their services by the people of North Carolina to the maximum extent possible.

North Carolinians are facing unprecedented hardship as a result of COVID-19 and access to telecommunication systems is critical. During this pandemic many North Carolinians are relying heavily on mass media and telecommunication systems to get information about North Carolina’s COVID-19 response. Stay at home orders require many students and educators to use these systems to provide information and materials to continue to learn and teach. To assist the health care system and maximize patient capacity, many hospital systems and doctors are now utilizing telemedicine services. Finally, businesses, nonprofits, government agencies, and other organizations use teleworking  to continue to carry out their essential functions.

With unprecedented hardship comes unprecedented needs. Telecommunication companies can play a major role in helping North Carolina make it through this crisis.

The Pledge

In response to Executive Order 124 and the Governor’s and Attorney General’s efforts to ensure that North Carolinians do not lose their broadband, cable, or telephone connectivity as a result of the exceptional circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic, [company name] pledges to affirmatively do the following for any person or small business:

• Stop any disconnection for inability to pay due to economic hardship related to the coronavirus pandemic for a minimum of the next 90 days, or until the State of Emergency ends.
• Waive late fees and interest for untimely payments incurred because of their economic hardship related to the coronavirus pandemic for a minimum of the next 90 days, or until the State of Emergency ends.
• Give customers time to pay any bills in arrears accumulated during the effective period of Executive Order 124 by providing customers experiencing economic hardship related to the coronavirus pandemic with reasonable payment options over at least a six month period to pay off any past-due balance starting after the State of Emergency ends.
• Reconnect as feasible any customers disconnected who wish to be reconnected during the State of Emergency, with penalties and reconnection fees waived.
• For cell phone providers, lift or greatly expand data caps and waive any overage charges for a minimum of the next 90 days, or until the State of Emergency ends.
• Inform and educate customers about:
  • these COVID-19-related consumer protections; and
  • about COVID-19-related scams, such as scam robocalls and phishing emails.

Sign the pledge here

We thank the following companies for their support and for signing the NC Department of Justice Telecom pledge.