Spectrum is offering 90,000 free Wi-Fi access points across North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama to residents devastated by Hurricane Helene. Charter Communications announced the free Wi-Fi access points on Wednesday, the same day it announced the allocation of $1 million to aid relief efforts in the region.
The 90,000 Wi-Fi access points will be located in public areas (like parks or main city streets) and will be active through Oct. 13, according to a spokesperson from Spectrum. You can find an access point near you with Spectrum's Out-of-Home Wi-Fi map.
Spectrum isn't the only major internet service provider offering services for Hurricane Helene relief. Starlink also announced plans to work with the federal government to offer free satellite internet throughout storm-ravaged communities for an entire month.
Locating local internet providers
Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, devastated countless communities where rural cities already had limited access to a decent internet connection.
Following the storm, thousands of households were cut off by internet and cellphone blackouts. According to the Federal Communications Commission, as of Thursday, Mitchell County in North Carolina still had 90% of cell service operations cut off. Cell service and internet are slowly coming back online for other affected communities.
Locating local internet providers
In addition to Wi-Fi access points, Spectrum also announced that it will be working “with state and local agencies to provide temporary connectivity to relief and shelter locations where possible.”