Charter Communications is alerting its Spectrum customers in the Los Angeles area of the potential for service disruptions due to several wildfires burning there.
On a customer support page launched this week, Charter said Spectrum TV, Internet, landline phone and wireless phone customers may lose access to their services due to power disruptions and wildfire damage. Even in areas that have electricity, Spectrum subscribers may lose access to one or more services for an extended period of time due to equipment-related issues in and around the fires. Spectrum provides land-based cable TV and Internet service throughout much of the Los Angeles area.
On Tuesday, a wind-whipped fire broke out in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles County, exploding in size to more than 15,800 acres over a 24-hour period. Hours after that fire ignited, a separate wildfire started near Altadena, growing to over 10,000 acres and killing five residents there.
At least three other wildfires of varying sizes have ignited in other parts of Southern California, all of which have grown in size and intensity due to dry conditions and heavy wind.
Early Wednesday morning, California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state was able to secure a federal disaster declaration from President Joe Biden. The declaration allows federal disaster relief funds and resources to come to California, in addition to resources provided by the state itself.
Shortly after the declaration, Spectrum began e-mailing customers with various disaster relief information, according to a copy of one such notification obtained by The Desk. The notice included a link to a webpage outlining a subscriber’s right to disaster-related protections when a state or federal disaster is declared in their area.
Under California law, cable TV and Internet customers in covered disaster areas are entitled to a waiver of installation charges if they relocate at some point within the first 12 months of a declared disaster. Customers are also entitled to a waiver of certain installation fees if they return to their home after a declared disaster.
Charter also said it will not charge customers whose TV or Internet equipment was damaged or destroyed during the wildfires. Additionally, 35,000 Spectrum WiFi hotspots have been opened up to the public throughout Southern California, and can be accessed by Spectrum customers and non-customers alike, a spokesperson confirmed to The Desk late Wednesday evening.
Regional news channel Spectrum News 1 is airing coverage of the wildfires burning throughout Southern California. A live stream of Spectrum News 1 is typically only available to Spectrum TV customers, but is free to stream during the wildfire emergency, even for those who do not have Spectrum service. Spectrum News 1 is also simulcasting on YouTube.
For more information about Spectrum’s response to wildfires in Southern California, click or tap here; for Spectrum’s California consumer protection information, click or tap here.
