Verizon waiving some fees for fed workers hurt by shutdown
Furloughed and unpaid workers won't have to pony up fees for late payments or agent assistance.
The shutdown is the longest in US history.
Hit hard by the longest government shutdown in history? Verizon says it "has your back."
The carrier on Monday said it's "waiving late fees and agent assist fees for federal government employees directly impacted for the duration of the shutdown.
"We appreciate everything you do and we'll continue to do what we can to help you stay connected," Nancy Clark, Verizon's senior vice president of customer support, said in a statement. Verizon says federal employee customers who aren't getting paid can use its self-service tools or speak directly to a customer support rep by calling 1-866-266-1445. Last week, Verizon said government workers could use its Promise to Pay program and set up a date for future payment. Instructions for setting up Promise to Pay can be found here.
Since Dec. 22, More than 800,000 federal employees have either been furloughed or are working without pay as President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats spar over $5.7 billion in funding for a wall on the US-Mexico border. The shutdown affects the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State and Treasury as well as the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA.
T-Mobile and AT&T both announced similar efforts last week.
T-Mobile said customers affected by the partial shutdown can call T-Mobile Customer Care at 1-877-746-0909 to spread out or defer service payments. AT&T said its customer service team will work with customers to adjust late fees, provide extensions and revise payment schedules as long as the shutdown remains in effect. People who pay their bills online can click here to get started. DirecTV users can learn about flexible payment options here.
Updated at 4:50 p.m. PT: Adds information about AT&T's payment options.