Comcast Extends Free Wi-Fi Hotspots Plan

Comcast Corp. will continue to offer two months of free internet to low-income individuals and keep its public Wi-Fi hotspots open until June 30, reports the Philly Business Journal.

The Philadelphia-based company said it’s extending the Covid-19 support and response programs, the third time it’s done so since the pandemic began, into the summer in part to help keep students connected during the school year. 

When Covid-19 first hit, Comcast suspended broadband shut offs, suspended data caps on broadband in areas where it applied and started offering new Internet Essentials customers, low-income households that are eligible to receive broadband for about $10 a month, two months of free internet service. 

The Federal Communications Commission’s Keep Americans Connected Pledge that Comcast and other major internet providers signed onto when suspending broadband shutoffs expired in June. The company now says it's offering customers who have been a part of those assistance programs "a variety of flexible and extended payment options."

The company is again enforcing limits on data usage and fees for exceeding them — which has so far mostly applied to its western and southern footprint — but it increased the limit from 1 terabyte to 1.2 terabytes.