Verizon Waiving Some Fees For Next 60 Days, But Probably Not Yours

Today we're taking a peek at what Verizon will and will not likely do in light of the global pandemic and national emergency that is COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) here in the USA. Verizon's released some information on how they'll respond for certain customers, and have given assurances that they're doing everything in their power to keep people connected in this time of increased network traffic. What's important here – at the moment – is the ease with which the "help" Verizon can/will give will be used by the average everyday consumer.

If you are not a Residential or Small Business customer, you will NOT be given any slack when it comes to late fees in the near future. Verizon made an announcement today that could very easily be misunderstood as a free ticket to smartphone data use – that's not what this is.

SEE TOO: Gov announces national emergency for COVID-19, drive-thru tests incoming!

Verizon Residential Customers are the sort of people who have internet connected to Verizon's services in their home. Verizon's "Verizon Wireless" webpage makes clear that they've got three categories of customer, here: Wireless, In Home, and Business. The "In Home" part is what they're talking about with "Residential Customers," and the "Business" part is what they're talking about when they point to "Small Business Customers."

Verizon's exact wording for this "waive late fees" situation is as follows: "Verizon announced today, for the next 60 days, it will waive late fees that any residential or small business customers incur because of their economic circumstances related to the coronavirus. In addition, the company will not terminate service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus."

Verizon "signed on" to the FCC's pledge... thing... called "Keep Americans Connected" this week. Verizon's facing a situation that's very easy to misenterpret, and one that's almost certainly going to negatively impact quite a few of their customers due to loss of work.

As such, it's good to see that Verizon appears to be attempting to tow the line. "Now more than ever, we need to ensure that our customers, their families and businesses have the ability to connect to the internet even if they're facing financial hardship from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic," said Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg.

"We want to ensure that our customers can continue to use the internet to work, learn, and carry on with their lives as we all address this collective challenge." Meanwhile Verizon also reported that, since COVID-19 turned into a global pandemic, the network has "not seen any measurable increase in data usage on any of its networks."

For more information on COVID-19 (coronavirus), take a peek at the timeline below. Also refer to the latest from the World Health Organization (WHO). Stay safe – stay home!