In the age of COVID-19. Verizon is now using a virtual assistant to help customers with issues inside the home or small business, with the customer becoming the non-virtual assistant. 

Verizon technicians remain outside the residence and sends the customer a text that starts a video chat. 

Related: Cox Techs Will Stay Outside during Service Calls 

Customers can take and share pictures of equipment, which the technician can then use to diagnose the problem and draw on the photos of the equipment to instruct the customer in how to repair the problem with voice, video or data service. 

“This new tool gives us the ability to provide the excellent service our customers deserve while minimizing the need for in-person interaction in these unprecedented times," said Kevin Service, SVP of operations for Verizon. 

Verizon said that about 90% of issues have been able to be resolved by the team of technicians, virtual assistant and the customer. 

INCOMPAS has launched its own network performance website to showcase how its member carriers--it represents competitive (smaller) ISPs and edge providers--are handling pandemic-driven traffic. 

The site is based on data from a sample of members over the past 30 days. 

Related: Complete Coverage of the Pandemic

INCOMPAS said that residential fiber seen a 25% bump in network bandwidth usage during the daytime compared to pre-COVID-19, which it said members can easily handle. 

By contrast, its middle mile members, who provide regional fiber networks for schools, universities, libraries and businesses have seen a 35%-40% decrease in bandwidth use. 

No surprise there it said as traffic has shifted to residential service given teleworking and distance learning.

Business voice service is down 10%-25%. No surprise there either as call volume moves to mobile voice from home.

Democratic senators are on the same page as FCC chair Ajit Pai when it comes to wanting more funding for distance learning. 

In a letter to House and Senate leadership Thursday, the majority of Senate Democrats called for "robust" funding of K-12 online education. 

By "robust," they mean at least $2 billion in E-Rate funding in the next COVID-19 aid bill. E-Rate is the FCC subsidy for high-speed broadband to schools and libraries. 

The senators had wanted E-rate funding in the $2 trillion CARES Act aid package, but that bill's broadband funding was only $300 million, targeted at telehealth. 

“Children without connectivity are at risk of not only being unable to complete their homework during this pandemic, but being unable to continue their overall education,” the lawmakers wrote. “Congress must address this issue by providing financial support specifically dedicated to expanding home internet access in the next emergency relief package so that no child falls behind in their education.” 

Related: FCC Will Seek Distance Learning Dollars from Hill 

The FCC under Pai also pushed for distance learning funding in the CARES Act, and signaled it would do so again in any subsequent aid bill, FCC officials said this week, though they did not say how much money they thought was needed. 

The FCC has already taken several steps to help distance learners, Pai has pointed out, including lifting gift rules in the E-rate program to allow donations of equipment and services, and allowing closed schools and libraries to keep getting funding so they can serve as community WiFi hot spots. On Wednesday (April 1), it also extended filing and implementation requirements for the program. 

Leading the letter were Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii). Other signatories were Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Bob Casey, Jr. (D-Penn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tom Udall (D-Utah), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).