COVID-19: Our Response

FirstNet Supports Vaccine Distribution Efforts Across the U.S.

As the U.S. accelerates vaccinations in anticipation of meeting the President’s goal of being ready to open up availability to all adults by May 1, a cross-industry response has been deployed to meet the logistical needs, safety concerns and scale of the mammoth operation. FirstNet, Built with AT&T is giving public safety agencies a common, interoperable platform to easily communicate across agencies, jurisdictions and state lines. During the vaccination rollout, public safety agencies, local and state governments, and healthcare organizations using FirstNet are helping to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine efficiently and effectively.

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“As COVID-19 elevates the pressure on public safety entities to expand and accelerate the deployment of smart solutions that enhance the safety of citizens and communities, AT&T is leading the industry in enabling innovative public safety solutions that modernize communications and transform emergency reporting and response.” – Brent Iadarola, Vice President, Information and Communications Technologies, Frost & Sullivan

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FirstNet Connects Tribal Nations

The National Tribal Emergency Management Council has turned to FirstNet – America’s public safety network – for much needed connectivity as they coordinate logistics and package food and medical supplies to support Tribal Nations impacted by the coronavirus pandemic across 32 states. We deployed a dedicated FirstNet portable cell site and are providing in-building networking solutions for longer-term use at their Incident Command in a remote area of Washington. Check out our latest announcement to learn more about how we’ve been on the front lines with tribal nations across the country as they work to combat the coronavirus.

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Supporting Telehealth Quickly and Confidently

The federal government and health care industry have been working to expand coverage and improve access to telehealth services. FirstNet can be used daily by first responders for emergency medical services, and in turn helping maintain a semblance of normalcy for patients across the country through telehealth services. Doctors and nurses can video chat with their patients, as well as send video, medical imaging and medical vital sign information to people within the medical network that need them.

And because FirstNet routes all first responders’ information through a dedicated network core, it’s built with enhanced security (like end-to-end data encryption) and reliability – ideal for sending medical and patient information. By making it easier for doctors to remotely connect with patients, we’re doing what we can to help keep Americans safer and healthier. Check out our latest blog post to learn more on how we’re supporting public safety and the communities they serve with telehealth connectivity.

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The COVID-19 health crisis illustrates precisely why public safety fought for the creation of FirstNet, the only nationwide high-speed broadband communications platform dedicated to and purpose-built for America’s first responders. And as the nation continues to combat the spread of this disease, the FirstNet® communications platform – built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) – is bringing advanced capabilities to first responders across the country.

#1: First responder public safety agencies on FirstNet can get premium FirstNet Ready™ smartphone devices for free for their agency-paid users to connect them to critical communications when and where they need it most. All they have to do is get a new FirstNet Mobile – Unlimited for Smartphone line of service or eligible upgrade with either a 2-year service agreement or a new AT&T Installment 30-month agreement and meet some other conditions.

#2: We’re delivering new capabilities to first responders. Developed from the ground up specifically for and with public safety officials, FirstNet Push-to-Talk (PTT) is the first-ever nationwide mission-critical standards-based push-to-talk solution to launch in the U.S. FirstNet PTT is designed to enable public safety to use their smartphones, feature phones and specialized ultra-rugged devices like they would use a two-way radio, with highly reliable, high-performance calling.

Read more about both here.

What is FirstNet?

FirstNet is the nationwide, wireless communications platform dedicated to America’s first responders and public safety community. As men and women across the country stand on the front lines to support our nation’s response to COVID-19, they can have confidence knowing that with FirstNet they’ll have the unthrottled connectivity and priority communications they need to respond during this public health emergency. This type of unparalleled emergency support distinguishes FirstNet, public safety’s network, from best-effort commercial wireless networks built for consumer use.

So far, more than 16,000 public safety agencies and organizations across the country have subscribed. And over 2.2 million FirstNet connections are in service.

How is FirstNet different from commercial offerings?

FirstNet represents an unprecedented public-private investment in infrastructure that makes America a leader and public safety a national priority.

While commercial wireless offerings are available to public safety, FirstNet continues to grow because it stands apart from those commercial offerings. The FirstNet communications platform comes with unique features, functionality and spectrum for the public safety community. That’s why public safety fought for their own, separate, dedicated communications platform, championing the vision behind FirstNet.

How can I get FirstNet support?

FirstNet subscribers seeking to request FirstNet support can call 1-800-574-7000.

How do I order service or order additional devices?

Public safety agency and individual first responders, including police, fire, EMS, health care professionals, emergency management and military personnel can sign up for service or order devices online: https://www.firstnet.com/signup/.   

For Customers in Washington D.C.

The District of Columbia has passed legislation addressing companies’ ability to terminate or disconnect wireline telephone service during a Public Health Emergency as well as establishing conditions and requirements applicable to telecommunication providers’ payment plans for eligible customers.  Get all the details on B23-0758 at https://lims.dccouncil.us/Legislation/B23-0758.

For Customers in Washington

In Washington State, utility companies, such as wireline service providers, must waive late payment fees and not disconnect residential wireline customers.  See Washington Governor’s Proclamation for more details.

For Customers in Hawaii

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission passed an order addressing utility companies’ ability to terminate residential wireline service.  Disconnection suspension protection will be lifted effective June 1, 2021.  Get all the details on the State of Hawaii’s Public Utility Commission website.  AT&T offers payment plans to customers with outstanding balances.  Please contact AT&T at the telephone number on your billing statement if you would like to learn more about payment plans.  Disconnection suspension protection for wireless services was lifted by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission in January 1, 2021. 

For Customers in Louisiana

The Louisiana Public Service Commission passed two Special Orders addressing utility companies’ ability to disconnect service during the COVID-19 pandemic, including topics such as Customer Notifications; Late Fees, Penalties and Interest; and Customer Payment Plans. In accordance with Louisiana Public Service Commission Special Orders 43-2020 and 44-2020, the Company alerts its customers to the following effective as of July 16, 2020: (1) the Commission has terminated the temporary prohibition on service disconnections, meaning your service may now be discontinued for failing to pay your bill; (2) all customers with an outstanding principal balance have an obligation to pay the outstanding balance; and (3) AT&T is offering payment plans to delinquent customers to allow the payment of outstanding balances – please contact AT&T to set up a plan at 800-288-2020. The details of the Commission’s Orders may be found on the Louisiana Public Service Commission website.

What we do is critical to connecting millions of people and companies around the world to friends, family, colleagues, customers and communities. When people need us most, we show up. That’s what we do. It’s who we are.

The health and safety of our customers and employees are top priorities for AT&T, which is why we want to let you know what we’re doing to respond to COVID-19.

We’re asking our employees in customer-facing roles or those that require onsite presence to take appropriate preventive measures – whether they are in our stores, call centers, our customers’ homes or businesses. This includes stocking up on hand sanitizer and disinfecting spray and wipes, increased cleaning and sanitizing for all company-operated stores with an added focus on locations in affected areas. We’re also encouraging employees who may not feel well to avoid coming to work or interacting with customers. 

Our front-line employees across the nation – including retail employees, Ready to Go, Cricket Wireless, field technicians and others – continue to take your health seriously, which is why we ask them to:

• Disinfect their workspace after every customer interaction
• Wipe down all displays and hard surfaces multiple times a day
• Pay extra attention to sanitizing common areas
• Take care of themselves by eating well, washing their hands frequently, staying hydrated and well-rested, and quickly reporting if they are not feeling well

And while the mission of our field technicians is essential to keeping our customers connected during this time, we also recognize that there is a balance between providing service and keeping our technicians safe.

To accomplish that balance, we’re providing our field technicians with new policies and procedures so they feel comfortable serving customers at their businesses and in their homes, while delivering on our commitment to service.

For that reason, our technicians will contact customers prior to arriving for scheduled appointments to ask questions concerning health and travel. We've asked that our technicians not enter the home or business of any customer who has:

• Been sick or quarantined
• Traveled to a high-risk Level 3 country in the last 14 days
• Been in close contact with someone confirmed positive for coronavirus or who has traveled through a high-risk country in the last 14 days

In those cases, our technicians will attempt to assist the customer without entering the home or business, where possible. Customers who wish to reschedule their appointments can do so on our myAT&T app or by visiting att.com.

We offer multiple options to keep you connected if you have concerns about getting out in the community or are unable to make it to a store.

• Our MyAT&T and att.com also give you easy access to view and pay bills, monitor data usage, add more lines to your account and even upgrade existing devices or  services. Our myAT&T app is easy to use and available through mobile app stores.
• In select markets, AT&T Ready to Go will continue to bring the retail experience to you. Consumers and small business customers can get personal delivery with eligible device orders.
• AT&T is redirecting more resources to provide communication services and tools for first responders, health care professionals, educators and other essential customers. This additional support will help ensure these customers can continue providing critical support to the country and their communities, particularly to first responders using FirstNet - the nationwide wireless broadband communications platform dedicated to America’s first responders and public safety community. FirstNet is the first and only network built with first responders, for first responders.
• Curbside pickup - When your order is ready, we will deliver it to your car. Existing customers can get curbside pickup for online orders at an open AT&T store.
• Doorstep delivery with virtual setup – In select markets, AT&T Ready to Go will continue to bring the retail experience to you. Consumer and small business customers can get fast doorstep delivery with no-contact virtual expert setup with eligible device orders.
• Express shipping – Wireless customers can get free express shipping for a limited time for online orders.

In recent weeks we’ve all felt the change to our daily lives. In times like this, we want to stay connected to the people that we care about as well as news, information, education and even entertainment.

Our teams across AT&T are honored to keep you connected to what matters to you most. Keeping you connected is what we’ve always done and what we’ll always do. 

How you can reach us

We’re working to keep you, and millions of people and companies around the world, connected during this critical time. We continue to balance providing the services you rely on while maintaining the health and safety of all our employees and customers.

That’s why we encourage you to manage your services online at att.com or on the myAT&T app with 24/7 access allowing you to do almost everything you could do in our store or through our customer service team. These online tools allow you to handle wireless, video or internet bill payments, device or Wi-Fi troubleshooting, upgrading or activating your device or service and so much more.

Additionally, to further ensure we’re taking the proper steps for our customers and employees, we’ve adjusted our retail store presence to focus on handling first responder and critical customer needs. We’ve also reduced hours and taken extra cleaning and social distancing precautions. You can use our store locator to find information about the status of stores near you.

Thank you for choosing AT&T. Now more than ever we’re connected together.

Sincerely,

Thaddeus Arroyo
CEO – AT&T Consumer

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Fighting Coronavirus Scam Calls

Scammers are trying to take advantage of the global health emergency. We have not seen an increase of suspicious robocalls across our network. But an increasing percentage of fraudulent robocalls are using coronavirus as bait.

Here are some of the things we do to fight bad robocalls, and how you can help.

We recently added AT&T Call Protect¹ for millions of AT&T wireless customers at no charge. It’s a network-level service that automatically blocks suspected fraud calls. It also labels spam and other categories of calls so you can choose to answer or not.

You don’t have to do anything to make the service work. But if you want to do more, you can.

• To block more unwanted calls, send them straight to voicemail or to customize the service, you can download our free accompanying app of the same name – AT&T Call Protect.
• You can report unwanted robocalls that get through – to help us make our blocking services even stronger. Just click on the bad call in the app’s call log.

We work behind the scenes for you, as well. Earlier this month, our global fraud team reached a new milestone: They’ve blocked 6 billion suspected illegal robocalls since the launch of our network analytics-based blocking program in 2016. The program works in addition to AT&T Call Protect, and it covers everyone on our network – home phones, business phones, wireless and VoIP.

We also work to protect our customers from abusive, illegal and unwanted text messages. You can help there, too. Please forward suspicious text messages, including coronavirus messages, to 7726 (SPAM) so we can investigate them.

Finally, the AT&T Mobile Security app can help protect you against fake apps that may try to take advantage of the world crisis. It also provides alerts about data breaches.

The best defense against all kinds of fraud is still the same – stop and think. You can read more about coronavirus scams on our Cyber Aware website.

_{^{1 AT&T Call Protect is available for consumer and business postpaid wireless accounts with eligible service. AT&T Call Protect is not available for AT&T PREPAID℠ accounts. AT&T Call Protect service requirements: Compatible device is required and includes iPhone 6 or newer, running iOS v9.3+ and AT&T HD Voice-enabled Android smartphones. Some features vary by device operating system. Phones sold by other carriers or direct from device manufacturers may not be eligible for AT&T Call Protect.}}

Update on our Stores

To help keep our employees, customers and community more safe, we’ve made a number of changes in our retail stores as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

• We’re now offering curbside service, touchless transactions, and in some markets, door-step service with a no-contact virtual set-up.
• We’re also limiting the number of people in our stores to ensure social distancing and asking customers to first go online to handle some services like bill payments and device upgrades.
• Masks are required to be worn by employees, customers and visitors in our stores and will be provided to customers who need them.
• Hand sanitizer is available to our employees and customers, and surfaces are cleaned and sanitized at regular intervals throughout the workday.

We thank our customers for their patience as we work hard to provide them with the wireless service they rely on, while keeping safety and health top of mind. We will continue to monitor and act as needed.

Here are a few extra tips to help keep you healthy and connected using your own devices:

• Keep your device clean. Spray a nonabrasive or alcohol-based (70% isopropyl) disinfectant directly on a soft lint-free cloth and wipe down your device while it is powered down and unplugged
• Share things like photos through text messages instead of passing your phone around
• Since devices can collect germs, avoid putting your device on public surfaces and try to use a Bluetooth device or a hands-free headset to minimize the device’s exposure to your face

For more information on how to protect yourself from COVID-19, explore the CDC website.

For Customers in Washington D.C.

The District of Columbia has passed legislation addressing companies’ ability to terminate or disconnect wireline telephone service during a Public Health Emergency as well as establishing conditions and requirements applicable to telecommunication providers’ payment plans for eligible customers.  Get all the details on B23-0758 at https://lims.dccouncil.us/Legislation/B23-0758.

For Customers in Louisiana

The Louisiana Public Service Commission passed two Special Orders addressing utility companies’ ability to disconnect service during the COVID-19 pandemic, including topics such as Customer Notifications; Late Fees, Penalties and Interest; and Customer Payment Plans. In accordance with Louisiana Public Service Commission Special Orders 43-2020 and 44-2020, the Company alerts its customers to the following effective as of July 16, 2020: (1) the Commission has terminated the temporary prohibition on service disconnections, meaning your service may now be discontinued for failing to pay your bill; (2) all customers with an outstanding principal balance have an obligation to pay the outstanding balance; and (3) AT&T is offering payment plans to delinquent customers to allow the payment of outstanding balances – please contact AT&T to set up a plan at 800-288-2020. The details of the Commission’s Orders may be found on the Louisiana Public Service Commission website.

See additional ways we're supporting families and educations through our $10 million Distance Learning and Family Connections Fund. 

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Resources for Families During the Coronavirus Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children and families are spending more time in front of a screen – watching TV, playing games and using mobile devices to stay connected with teachers, family and friends. Our ScreenReady site is sharing digital parenting tips and resources to help families stay connected, learning and entertained at home during the time of coronavirus.

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AT&T Gives Call Center Employees the Option to Work from Home

With customers, first responders, health care workers, teachers and other essential workers depending on AT&T to keep them connected, our call center employees have a huge responsibility. Now we’re giving many of them the option to do that important work from home during the current pandemic.

Transforming the traditional roles and environments for our call center employees required innovation, and our teams have been able to successfully replicate the call center agent role at home. Today, more than half of our call center employees are working from home and we expect nearly all will be able to in the coming weeks.

This is completely voluntary, and our call centers will remain open for those who choose to continue to go into work and for a small number of employees who currently need to do so because their jobs require handling sensitive customer information. For those employees still going into work at our call centers, we have implemented new procedures and policies to help protect their health and safety.

Software-Centric Network Keeps Business Customers Connected in a Highly Safe Manner

You don’t design a network for a pandemic. But it turns out that building your network on software and open hardware specifications can help make it ready for just about anything. Check out the latest blog from AT&T CTO Andre Fuetsch, who explains how AT&T’s network transformation journey is helping companies around the world seamlessly connect their employees to their corporate networks in the middle of a pandemic.

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AT&T uses self-healing architectures and restoration technologies to maintain a reliable network.

We’ve set a high standard for network reliability through our patented Real Time Network Routing (RTNR) system. The RTNR system automatically completes domestic calls via any of more than 134 possible routes. These systems help ensure network reliability by rerouting circuits in the event of a failure on the core network.

We prepare and train year-round for business continuity and disaster recovery scenarios with our experts around the world.

AT&T’s Global Technology Operations Center is committed to 24x7 identifying and managing IT-related service continuity risks across the enterprise. The organization has established procedures designed to minimize the risk, the cost and the duration of disruption to essential business processes in the event of a major crisis or disaster.

Accordingly, we have taken a number of steps to help ensure the reliability of AT&T critical business processes and supporting infrastructures in order to provide high-quality communication services to AT&T customers. This includes up-front prevention and mitigation efforts, as well as comprehensive emergency response and recovery plans in the event of a disaster or crisis.

We are aligned with industry standards for business continuity and resiliency. And we have a business continuity management program that focuses on continuous improvement and evolving threats.

No one can be certain of the extent and effects of an event or disaster, but AT&T is in a strong position for preparedness.

AT&T maintains mobility network capacity in the U.S. by closely monitoring traffic in service areas.

Wireless voice and data traffic changes daily, so we have an extensive program to keep our network’s capacity flexible to deal with normal bandwidth projections.

We continuously monitor our networks 24x7 for faults and address most of them via redundant systems. Continuous analysis of network statistics helps us ensure that we meet our operating and engineering standards.

AT&T determines when to add network capacity based on network load as well as business and traffic forecasts.

Our technology planning and engineering teams manage capacity in the following categories:

• Backbone links (core, edge and uplinks)
• Peering links (private and public)
• Customer ports on access routers
• Device “soft limits”

We continuously monitor bandwidth use with a proprietary tool that analyzes and correlates network statistics, which reveal network usage trends, and provides us with performance and capacity management reports.

In addition, the tool compares report metrics with engineering objectives and notifies our operations team when the load exceeds specified thresholds.

We support our customers through their business continuity plans by providing a wide array of products and services that will help maintain particular customer operations, applications, work centers and networks.

For example, many employers use virtual private networks, or VPNs, as highly secure, dedicated channels for remote users to access the same network they normally have at work.

AT&T works with our customers on VPN solutions and uses multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) to create a virtual private network.

For resources to help you plan and mitigate unforeseen events, please visit the AT&T Business Continuity Website.