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Keeping North Carolinians Connected Through COVID-19

Our co-ops are doing their part in keeping members safe.

Pledged to Keep
Americans Connected

By pledging with the FCC to Keep Americans Connected, CarolinaLink members suspended residential disconnections for non-payment and did not charge late fees or interest to members from March through June. The initiative was created to ensure that Americans do not lose connectivity for telephone and internet services as a result of economic distress related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our members also worked one-on-one with business customers who were faced with financial hardships or had to temporarily close their doors to come up with solutions to keep them connected until they were back on their feet.

Provided critical connectivity
for students

Many of our member cooperatives provided temporary free internet for households with students. More than 1,000 families took advantage of this offer. In addition, several co-ops partnered with other community leaders and school systems to create Wi-Fi hotspots in towns across the state. These hotspots were critical to helping keep students in rural areas stay connected to their classwork and teachers while also providing a place where furloughed workers could go online to look for new employment opportunities.

Protecting employees
and customers

When making the decision to re-open stores after temporarily closing them to walk-in traffic, all of our cooperatives were vigilant about keeping employees and customers safe by implementing new safety and cleaning procedures. COVID guards were installed at customer service stations, face masks are required by employees and customers and high-traffic areas are rigorously cleaned following customer interaction. Many cooperative members encouraged customers to do business with them online, by phone or by making payments through a drive-thru to keep contact at a minimum. In addition, hundreds of co-op employees were equipped to work from home.

Keeping North Carolinians Connected Through COVID-19

Pledged to Keep Americans Connected

Provided critical connectivity for students

Protecting employees and customers

Pledged to Keep
Americans Connected

Provided critical connectivity
for students

Protecting employees
and customers