Comcast is offering free WiFi hotspots to Houston residents as major internet and mobile service providers continue to report disruptions following Thursday night’s deadly storm.
More than 700,000 customers in the Houston area were without power on Friday morning. Modems require power, so those affected by the outage can lose internet access. Even if power is available, problems with local telecommunications lines can cause issues.
By 1 p.m. Friday, about 300,000 Comcast customers had lost internet service, according to Comcast spokeswoman Ilona Carson. To help Houstonians access the internet, the company opened up all of the city’s operational WiFi hotspots; residents can find the nearest hotspot by entering their zip code on the company’s website.
Comcast has done similar things in the past, offering free hotspot service to customers in southeast Texas after floods earlier this month, Carson said. The company also has set up 53 sites in community centers in the Houston metropolitan area to provide internet access to students and families.
Comcast wasn’t the only major provider scrambling to assess and restore service on Friday: AT&T told the Chronicle that its wireless and wireline customers could continue to experience service interruptions.
“Our network teams have begun initial impact assessments and we are working to restore service as quickly and safely as possible,” an AT&T spokesperson said. “We know how important it is for you to stay connected and keep your business running until all service is restored.”
A Verizon spokesman said the company was “utilizing all available resources to fully restore service” following ongoing power outages caused by severe thunderstorms.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo said the effects of the power outages could last for weeks for some homes.
