AT&T offer free wireless to fire victims
Southern California may be doing a credible impression of Hell, with over half a million acres of blazing inferno, but it’s set to become a wireless haven as AT&T promises to offer three weeks of free wireless connection in hundreds of hotspots for refugees.
The humanitarian gesture (as described on their official website) is an interesting indicator of our modern connected culture. In a situation where many would think emergency shelter, food, or perhaps dropping huge amounts of water would be useful we see internet access provided as aid.
The intention is to allow victims to remain in contact with friends and loved ones, providing support in a time when many have lost all they own and are feeling particularly vulnerable and disconnected from their former lives.
It will be interesting to see if AT&T will respond to the inevitable abuse of the system. Many might claim that downloading twenty gigabytes of movie files is simply how they deal with trauma, but such claims are hardly convincing. The fact is that there are those who would hijack an open connection from a children’s cancer ward to download the complete season of their favourite show.
Whether you view it as genuine aid, or a golden public relations opportunity at a time when many large telecom providers are having trouble dealing with the internet age, the benefits for those using the service are undeniable.
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