BRONX, NY – Upon hearing that local schools were having difficulty getting their students connected to remote WiFi because Optimum had a requirement that all outstanding obligations be paid before free WiFi could be delivered, State Senator Jamaal Bailey, Council Member Andrew Cohen, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz sprang into action. In a letter to the Altice USA CEO, the local electeds said that the refusal to connect students to WiFi conflicted with the Keep Americans Connected Pledge that the company signed onto in conjunction with FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

Altice USA responded almost immediately and said that they have lifted this requirement and are actively working with local schools to ensure all students are able to connect to the internet during the current emergency.

The local elected officials (Council Member Andrew Cohen, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, and State Senator Jamaal Bailey) issued the following joint statement thanking Altice USA for their quick response:

“The education of a student should not be contingent on whether their parents have unpaid bills or not. School teachers and administrators are working incredibly hard to ensure that all students are able to access remote learning curricula from their homes, but all that work is for naught if their students can’t access the internet from home. We are thrilled that Altice USA responded so quickly to our concern that students were being denied internet access, and are grateful for their efforts to provide free WiFi services to all New York City students during this unprecedented crisis.”