RALEIGH – Despite the coronavirus crisis wreaking havoc on businesses across the country, Charter Communications – operator of Spectrum which provides cable, internet and wireless services – has promised no layoffs or furloughs for at least the next 60 days.

It has more than 10,800 employees in North Carolina alone.

In addition, the company will make permanent wage increases for all hourly workers from $15 to $20 over the next two years. That includes an immediate increase of $1.50 an hour for the frontline field and customer operations employees and an additional $1.50 starting March 2021 on top of an annual merit increase.

And that’s not all.

Employees will receive three weeks of COVID-19 related flex time in addition to any paid administrative leave due to COVID-19 exposure, and enhanced health plans to waive costs for diagnostic testing services and Telehealth visits for 90 days.

“These employees are providing the critical services that allow for uninterrupted internet, telephone and TV news for more than 29 million customers, including lifeline institutions like hospitals, first responders and government facilities,” the company said in its release. “We are grateful for their around-the-clock work supporting and maintaining our customers’ residential and business connectivity needs during the COVID-19 health and economic crisis.”

The Spectrum services

Charter Communications merged with Time Warner in 2016, and has rebranded the internet, phone and cable service as Spectrum Cable. It officially launched Spectrum Mobile across the Triangle in 2018.

It serves more than 29 million customers in 41 states through its Spectrum brand.

Last month, Charter announced it is expanding the eligibility for its 60-day free offer for Spectrum broadband Internet and WiFi access to include educators, from kindergarten to university, who don’t already have Spectrum account, during the COVID-19 crisis.

“The response to the broadband offer has been very strong,” Scott Prywanksy, Charter’s field communications senior director told WRAL TechWire. “But we haven’t shared customer numbers publicly.”

Meanwhile, the network remains solid.

“We built our networks to exceed maximum capacity during peak evening usage, and even with the increased network activity we are seeing in the daytime – especially in areas with larger COVID-19 closures – levels remain well below capacity and typical peak evening usage in most markets,” he added.

“Our network continues to perform well downstream and upstream, the growth in both of which have shown signs of stabilizing. We continue to monitor the situation – and our network – closely and are poised to adjust resources as needed to provide the reliable internet and essential services our customers depend on.”

Charter expands free 60-day broadband, wifi for educators new to Spectrum