SEATTLE, WA – April 6, 2020 – Wave Broadband, a leading provider of fiber and broadband services, today announced a series of steps to help residential and business customers who’ve been affected directly and indirectly by COVID-19 address expanded internet connectivity needs, as well as mitigate financial hardships.

Wave’s Internet, TV and phone services support and enable residential customers and their families, as well as business customers, to work-from-home and school-from-home, while  continuing to perform important day-to-day activities  such as calling a loved one, video conferencing, checking emails, sharing files, watching a movie, social media, online shopping, and more.

• Wave Broadband will offer free internet and WiFi for 60 days to all qualifying low-income households, especially students in low income households who do not already subscribe to their internet service and who enroll in the Internet First program.
• The Internet First program is affordable internet designed to help families and students in low-income households to have reliable access to the internet. It will enable them to home school, do homework, and access educational resources and more. Wave Broadband will partner with school districts to ensure local communities are aware of these tools to help students learn remotely.
• The Internet First program includes 25Mbps high-speed internet service at $9.95 per month and is available to all eligible new residential customers who do not currently have Wave service. Installation fees will be waived for eligible students and new customers.
• Wave Broadband will not terminate service to any residential or business customer because of their inability to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. Customers can reach out to make special arrangements to keep services active.
• While many Wave Broadband customers already have unlimited home internet access, the company is waiving internet data overage fees for the remaining customers in an effort to provide peace-of-mind in this unprecedented time.
• The company will waive any late fees that any residential or small business customer might normally incur because of their economic circumstance related to COVID-19.

Wave’s network is engineered and built for capacity, speed, reliability, and expansion. With more people than ever working from home in response to the COVID-19 situation, Wave continues to see optimal performance of its network, with significant excess capacity should usage increase. Wave continuously tests, monitors and enhances its systems to ensure optimal performance and a reliable connection.

“Our customers, the communities we serve, and government agencies are all counting on us to have services up and running as reliable communication is a critical tool during this time,” said Chris Fenger, Chief Operating Officer of Wave Broadband.  “Service and business continuity are critical priorities as we execute plans and processes that protect the health and welfare of our residential and business customers, employees and communities. We are committed and ready to do our part in taking care of each other during this time.”

More About Internet First

This program is an affordable and easy internet option for low-income families who are new customers that live in a Wave service area:

• First 60 days of complimentary Internet First service, followed by $9.95/month for 10 months.
• Service includes 25 Mbps speed, modem and standard WiFi.
• Eligible for individuals who qualify for public assistance programs like the National School Lunch Program, housing assistance, Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, and others.

More information on Internet First is available at www.gowave.com/internet-first.

About RCN, Grande Communications and Wave Broadband

RCN Telecom Services, LLC (www.rcn.com) Grande Communications (www.mygrande.com) and Wave Broadband (www.wavebroadband.com) form the sixth largest US cable operator and provide industry-leading high-speed internet, broadband communications solutions, digital TV, phone services and fiber optic solutions for residential and business customers across the United States. Together, RCN, Grande and Wave serves areas of Massachusetts, Chicago, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Washington, DC. (RCN); Texas (Grande Communications) and Washington, Oregon and California (Wave Broadband).

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WAVE MEDIA CONTACT
Mark S. Peterson
mark@pointerpr.com
206-390-0204

Together, RCN, Grande and Wave, form the sixth largest US cable operator and are leading providers of high-speed internet, digital TV, phone services, fiber optic and broadband communications solutions for residential and business customers across the United States. We are closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and its potentially significant impact on the communities we serve in Massachusetts, Chicago, Pennsylvania, New York City, and Washington, DC. (RCN); Texas (Grande Communications) and Washington, Oregon and California (Wave Broadband).

We take our employees’, customers’ and communities we serve safety and well-being very seriously. We continue to proactively communicate and employ prevention/precaution steps as identified by the CDC. Service and business continuity are one of our top priorities as we execute plans and processes that protect the health and welfare of our employees and communities.

We understand the importance of staying connected and are currently conducting extensive preparations to ensure our customers, employees, communities and businesses remain connected at all times. Our robust, fiber-rich network enables us to operate in footprints on the East and West coasts with back-up capabilities. We also have dedicated staff, equipment and supplies across 10 states at the ready to identify and remedy mission critical operations.

RCN, Grande and Wave will continue to be diligent in monitoring reports and recommendations from the CDC, local and government officials and adjust plans as needed. We understand customers, the public, and government agencies are all counting on us to have services up and running as reliable communication is a critical tool, and we’re committed and ready to do our part.

Message for Our Existing Customers

With the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), we are all facing an unprecedented time. We understand the importance of staying connected and the role we, our network and our employees play in keeping our customers and communities connected during this critical time. It’s natural for people to want to stay up to date while staying in touch with loved ones. We take that need very seriously.

As communities across our country take steps to slow and contain this event, our customers can have peace of mind knowing that we are prepared. Internet, TV and phone services will continue to enable families to work from home, school from home, perform typical day-to-day activities – whether that’s calling a loved one, watching a movie, video conferencing, social media, online shopping – you name it.

Our Wave Broadband Network is engineered and built for capacity, speed, reliability, and expansion. In addition, we closely monitor network usage 24×7 to ensure there is ample capacity for an optimal customer experience. With more and more people working from home in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, we continue to see optimal performance of the network, and plenty of excess capacity should that usage increase, while also standing ready to address network issues that may arise with trained and seasoned local technicians. Our robust, fiber-rich network enables us to operate in interconnected footprints on the East and West coasts and in the Central U.S., with back-up capabilities for each. We also have dedicated staff, equipment and supplies across 10 states at the ready to identify and remedy mission critical operations.

We have and will continue to proactively educate our employees on prevention and precaution steps as identified by the CDC and local health officials to ensure they do not exhibit any symptoms and feel safe for themselves and our customers when entering a home.

Our customers, the public, and government agencies are all counting on us to have our services up and running as reliable communication is a critical tool during this time. We are committed and ready to do our part in taking care of each other during this time – our customers, communities, businesses and employees. We’re prepared and here for you!

Thank you for being a loyal Wave Broadband customer, and please take care of yourself and each other.