COVID-19 Support for Libraries and Librarians: Internet Access & Remote Work Support

Some Internet providers are offering free or reduced-cost service to help students and employees now working from home. Some of these may be helpful to students and remote workers in your area.

FCC Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications

Lifeline is the FCC's program to help make communication services (i.e. telephone, broadband Internet, and more) more affordable for low-income consumers via a monthly discount. Please see the link above for current information and how to apply.

Consumer Reports lists

Consumer Reports has published several articles listing various Internet Service Providers' (ISPs') plans to offer relief and discounted services to communities during the COVID-19 emergency. See them at the links below:

• March 14, 2020:  "ISPs Raise Speeds and Suspend Data Caps in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic"
• August 18, 2020: "Back-to-School Help for Students Without Internet"

COMCAST (incl. free Xfinity WiFi hotspots statewide)

Comcast has made several free or low-cost internet offers to support the large numbers of newly-remote students and workers. One of these is to provide Xfinity WiFi hotspots free for anyone who needs them including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers.Comcast is also pausing its data plans for 60 days giving all customers Unlimited data for no additional charge, and it is offering its Internet Essentials plan free to new customers in its service area for 60 days.

For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit https://wifi.xfinity.com/. There are many throughout West Virginia. Zoom out on the map to find the ones nearest you.

For more about these offers, see https://corporate.comcast.com/covid-19.

SUDDENLINK / ALTICE ADVANTAGE

Households with K-12 or college students displaced due to school closures are offered 60 days of free Altice Advantage Internet. Contact Suddenlink for more information - (888) 633-0030. (Source) (Altice Advantage Internet: https://www.alticeadvantageinternet.com/.)

Distance Education and Engagement LibGuide (ACRL Pandemic Resources for Academic Libraries)

This guide from the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) lists numerous support resources for those newly teaching online.

This guide is a work-in-progress and will be updated as we are able.

Listings are not endorsements and may not be comprehensive. If you learn of something that you'd like us to include, please share it with the librarian below.