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Comcast extends free public Wi-Fi access to everyone for rest of 2020

The offer includes people who aren't customers.

Abrar Al-Heeti Technology Reporter
Abrar Al-Heeti is a technology reporter for CNET, with an interest in phones, streaming, internet trends, entertainment, pop culture and digital accessibility. She's also worked for CNET's video, culture and news teams. She graduated with bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Though Illinois is home, she now loves San Francisco -- steep inclines and all.
Expertise Abrar has spent her career at CNET analyzing tech trends while also writing news, reviews and commentaries across mobile, streaming and online culture. Credentials
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Abrar Al-Heeti
Comcast

Comcast is extending free public Wi-Fi access. 

Getty Images

Comcast on Friday said it's extending free access to its 1.5 million public Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots to everyone, including people who aren't customers, for the rest of the year. This follows a Thursday update in which the company said it was extending its free Internet Essentials offer, which provides 60 days of internet service to low-income households with students, for the remainder of 2020.

The move comes as the US looks to reopen amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We saw a huge jump in usage after we opened up our public hotspots, and we're excited to keep them open through the end of the year as the nation begins taking steps to reopen," Dana Strong, president of Xfinity Consumer Services, said in a statement. 

In March, Comcast and more than 700 other wireless and broadband providers signed on to the Federal Communications Commission's Keep Americans Connected pledge. As part of the pledge, companies promised not to charge late fees or disconnect service for customers who can't pay their bills. In April, the companies extended their pledge to June 30. 

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