After days of brutal forest fires that burned tens of thousands of acres in Los Angeles and reduced thousands of homes to ash, Internet service provider Spectrum is unlocking many of its Wi-Fi hotspots for anyone to use. They don't require logging in or creating an account – just search for your device's Wi-Fi name and click in.
Spectrum, a regional ISP under Charter Communications, has opened over 35,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in the Los Angeles area for public use. Anyone can search for their nearest access point Spectrum website and then connect to a Wi-Fi network called Spectrum Free Trial to get online, as KTLA tech reporter Rich DeMuro noted in post at X (formerly Twitter).
A range of customers whose equipment has been damaged or destroyed forest fires no compensation will be charged, the company wrote blog post. Those who have electricity but no internet service will receive credits until they are back online, which will be applied towards savings on their next bill.
Read more: Los Angeles Fires: Donations, Relief Efforts, and How to Help Fire Victims
Other ISPs and carriers have stepped up to provide additional service as the wildfires rage. T-Mobile and the Starlink microsatellite network have have temporarily activated their partner service to allow customers to connect to the Starlink satellite constellation that connects the phone (which companies it was previously involved to help with Hurricane Helen relief efforts in the southeastern United States last October). Although still in testing mode, this network of microsatellites allows users to send SMS text messages and receive emergency alerts when outside the T-Mobile network.
Verizon has waive any call, text and data usage fees for prepaid and postpaid customers in the affected counties forest fires until January 18, while also donating a total of $1 million of the American Red Cross and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. AT&T is waiving charges for overspending for unlimited talk, text and data to Southern California customers through February 15, donating $100,000 to the American Red Cross and matching employee donations to several charities. The carrier also set up several charging stations for devices for the public, as well as deploying aid for first responders.