Uniti Group COVID-19 Response and Updates
Our Top Priorities: The Health and Safety of Our Employees and Continued Connectivity for our Customers and Communities
As the number of COVID-19 cases increases worldwide, our top priority continues to be the health and safety of our employees, customers and communities.
We understand that business continuity is essential, and that network reliability is critical to maintaining connections with employees, customers, prospects, and vendors. To ensure the best possible support and service during this time, we remain hyper-diligent in our protective and preventative measures. We are continuously monitoring recommendations from our frontline employees and adjusting our approach to COVID-19 accordingly.
During this extended period of working, learning and socializing remotely, we are committed to keeping your business connected. We recognize the challenges COVID-19 has caused - including financial hardships for many - and we’re proud to have been one of the first telecommunications companies to sign the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, promising that we will:
- Not terminate service of any customer unable to pay their bill due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Waive any late payment fees incurred because of economic hardship related to the coronavirus pandemic.
- Keep our public Wi-Fi hotspots open for anyone who needs them.
To maintain our repair and installation schedules, we are requiring our frontline technicians to take appropriate protective measures. Our techs are equipped with safety kits that include hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes and more. Technicians are required to sanitize their workspaces and equipment after each customer interaction and to maintain social distancing at all times.
Please note: All colocation facilities will remain open to our customers 24x7x365. We have also placed hand sanitizer and/or disinfectant wipes at all data center and colocation facilities.
Steps We Are Taking to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19:
Restricting Travel
Effective immediately, all non-essential business travel is suspended until further notice. The installation, protection and restoration of our fiber optic network and associated systems are considered business critical functions. The travel restriction does not apply to employees who must travel (for example, locators, splicers or field technicians) in order to perform service-related job duties.
We have asked employees to refrain from attending conferences, trade shows or events that require travel or draw large crowds.
Avoiding In-Person Meetings
For normally scheduled in-person meetings – even those in the same building – we are using alternate communication solutions (web conferencing, email or other applications).
Implementing a No Handshake Policy
We have requested that employees refrain from shaking hands and ask for understanding from our customers, prospects and anyone else we encounter.
Restricting Visitors and Vendors in Office Locations
We have temporarily restricted visitors at all of our office locations (excluding colocation facilities) and are taking extra precautions when receiving mail, supplies or other deliveries.
Working Remotely
At this time, all of our office locations are open and business is operating as usual. We have encouraged employees with job functions that can be performed remotely to do so. To ensure business continuity, essential employees will continue working in some office and/or warehouse locations.
How We're Maintaining Our Healthy Network
Uniti Fiber’s core Internet (IP) backbone continues to perform at a high level. The majority of customers utilizing our IP backbone today consist of enterprise, wholesale and education/government customers, with minimal traffic coming from residential customers.
Prior to actions progressively taken around the country in early March to slow the spread of COVID-19, the demand on our IP network continued to break records and was running strong.
While our network continues to perform well, we have seen a shift in traffic as more people continue to work from home. We are seeing an increase in requests for critical infrastructure upgrades and builds, and we have been able to respond and fulfill those requests almost immediately, providing the connectivity solutions required to support new business models as a result of the current pandemic. For example, our healthcare customers have seen a significant jump in telemedicine patient consults. Uniti Fiber has also been instrumental in rapidly upscaling Internet and WAN connections, while helping customers successfully maintain business continuity. Finally, we have performed an accelerated install supporting connectivity needs for a new emergency medical facility and command center in New Orleans.
As we continue to monitor and navigate the impact of COVID-19, we are committed to ensuring our network operates optimally, as well as supporting our teams in the field with the resources and protection they need to do their jobs safely and responsibly.
How We’re Taking Care of Our Employees
To support our employees during this time, we are offering several assistance programs including childcare reimbursement, home Internet reimbursement, sanitization care kits and additional paid time off for illness.
Help Us Help You
We ask that our customers ensure that personnel sent to any Uniti location is limited to critical and essential employees only, thereby reducing in-person contact and fostering good health for all.
If anyone from your organization is diagnosed with a confirmed case of COVID-19 and has accessed any of our facilities or been in contact with a Uniti employee, please contact us immediately to report the case. We will continue to follow all official COVID-19 updates - including guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), local health departments and government officials - and will take all necessary actions to help protect the community.
We truly appreciate your patience as we weather this pandemic together. We value our continued partnership and are thankful that you continue to place your trust in Uniti.