AT&T Waives Fees, Extends Payment Window for Sandy-Affected Customers

A day after AT&T and T-Mobile announced an agreement to share networks in the days following Superstorm Sandy, allowing customers' calls to be carried by whichever network is most operational in their area, one of the wireless providers is going a step further.

AT&T is extending the late-payment window for Sandy-affected customers who are behind, waiving late fees, and not disconnecting services because of non-payment. 

"Our deepest concerns and thoughts are with the victims of Hurricane Sandy as we begin to see the full devastation of this unprecedented storm," wrote Steven Hodges, AT&T's northeast regional president, in a letter to customers.

The letter continued:

In advance of the storm, AT&T staged emergency response equipment in strategic locations to help combat disruptions in service and ensure a fast recovery. While these efforts have helped us restore service to the vast majority of our cell sites in the Northeast, we are still working through some issues in the most heavily impacted areas. We appreciate your patience as we work to gain access to some facilities, repair damages and restore service to its full capacity.

The disruption in telecommunications services expands beyond AT&T and T-Mobile. Customers of Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile are also affected, according to a Reuters report.

Sprint Network, which is more than 90 percent operational in Pennsylvania, has offered to waive late fees, overage charges, roaming and call forwarding fees, and renewal extension for prepaid services.

For details on Sprint's waivers, visit www.sprint.com.

According to Verizon Wireless, more than 94 percent of its towers from Maine to Virginia are currently operational. For customers still without power, Verizon said its retail stores can be utilized for recharging devices.

For more information on Superstorm Sandy's impact on U.S. and local telecom networks, read "" on Nazareth Patch.