As Americans hunker down at home while schools and offices shutter in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, many of them will lack something besides human companionship: sufficient bandwidth for full-time telework or remote learning. 

In some cases, the problem is a data cap that once seemed painless but which now seems uncomfortably close. Thursday, AT&T said it would suspend overage fees for broadband subscribers if they exceed caps starting at 150 gigabytes on its slowest plans. Friday, Comcast, the largest internet provider, said it would suspend its 1 terabyte cap for 60 days, and the smaller telecom firm CenturyLink also suspended its 1 TB limit.

Still, a lot of other Americans don’t have home broadband in the first place. A survey released last year by the Pew Research Center found that 27% of Americans reported no wired broadband service. And while a smartphone can suffice for many everyday activities, telecommuting and distance education usually aren’t among them. 

Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai challenged internet providers Friday to keep Americans online by not terminating the service of people behind on their bills – and by opening Wi-Fi hotspots normally reserved for their subscribers to the public.

An advocate for better broadband access commended FCC chair Pai for his efforts but pointed to mobile hot spot as another area where telecom companies could do more. 

More at USA Today.