Latest from Next TV in Disaster-relief

Cable Operators Prepared for Hurricane Michael’s Wrath

Mike Farrell — Wed, 10 Oct 2018 22:45:51 +0000

Cable operators spent the past week in preparation for Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 storm that made landfall in the Florida panhandle Wednesday afternoon with winds up to 155 mph.

According to reports, Hurricane Michael made landfall at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 10) at Mexico Beach, about 20 miles southeast of Panama City, Fla. By 5:05 p.m. the eye of the storm was leaving Florida, but the hurricane was still a Category 3 disturbance, packing sustained winds of up to 125 mph as it neared the Florida/Georgia/Alabama border.

The storm was expected to bring heavy rains, high winds and record storm surges, and has been called the strongest hurricane to ever hit the Gulf Coast side of Florida.

Comcast, which has customers in Panama City and Tallahassee Fla.; and Dothan, Ala., has been making its network of more than 8,000 WiFi hotspots throughout the affected areas available to all residents and emergency personnel for free. The company also has been offering safety tips and information on how to stay connected during the storm on its Twitter feed and other social media outlets.

[embed]https://twitter.com/ComcastSouth/status/1050084429249609728[/embed]

“As you’d imagine, there’s been a tremendous amount of preparation work that’s been done pre-storm, staging trucks, fuel, equipment and staff in and outside of the Florida region to ship in from other markets as needed,” said Comcast regional spokesman Brian Farley.

Cox Communications has systems in Pensacola and portions of the Gulf Coast and is expanding the availability of The Weather Channel in those areas.

Cox said the temporary authorization for all its Starter TV customers will extend through Friday, Oct, 12 in the Florida Gulf markets of Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach, Crestview, Destin, Niceville, Sandestin, Walton County, and Freeport. Customers can tune to channel 38 or 1038 to access TWC. With the exception of Freeport, Starter customers will also have access to "Weather Nation", WPMI DT2 on channel 696.

At AT&T, the focus too is on providing connectivity to residents and emergency personnel that need it. On its website, AT&T said its local and regional Network support teams, its Network Disaster Recovery (NDR) team, and the AT&T FirstNet team, have staged network assets along the Gulf Coast for quick deployment if needed, including:

· 32 COWS (Cell on Wheels) and COLTs (Cell on Light Trucks)

· 7 Emergency Communications Vehicles (ECVs) and Emergency Communications Portables (ECPs)

· 1 Hazmat and Mobile Command Center

Mediacom Communications has also been working hard in preparation of the storm. According to its website, it has taken the following steps: 1. Portable and back-up generators are secured in coastal areas, and topped off with fuel supplies. Fuel, clean up equipment, and restoration supplies are stockpiled.

2. Additional field resources are on standby to conduct post storm damage assessments and quickly begin restoration activities following the storm.

3. Critical systems and infrastructure are secured to withstand potential water and hurricane force wind damage in flood prone areas.

4. We have rescheduled service and installation appointments in affected areas.

5. Operations are closed in all Florida offices for employee safety on Wednesday, and will be closing early in many Georgia areas. We will re-open operations once it is deemed safe to travel following the storm.

Mediacom also is offering free Community WiFi from its hotspots in Gulf Shores, Ala.; and Valdosta, Ga.; to provide some temporary internet access for people who have evacuated to these areas, and for members of these communities. Customers can find important information and tips to prepare for a major storm by visiting the NOAA.gov website, or by clicking here.

At Charter Communications, which has a small presence in Panama City and Pensacola, spokesman Rich Ruggiero said the company’s storm preparation has been in effect all week — prepositioning staff, fuel, vehicles, supplies and other assets. The impact early on has been minimal – a few stores were closed and routine work has been rescheduled, but it was stressed that it was too early to tell what effect the storm will have on those markets.

Liberty Global Teams to Provide Free WiFi in Puerto Rico

Jeff Baumgartner — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 15:24:00 +0000

Liberty Global said it has teamed up with the government of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board on a “mobile WiFi Tour” that is providing free internet connections to communities there that were most severely impacted by Hurricane Maria.

Headed up by Liberty Cablevision Puerto Rico, the free WiFi Tour includes three mobile units specifically designed for first aid communications after a natural disaster, the operator said. Kymeta, a company that includes Liberty Global Ventures as a financial backer, supplied the satellite antennas, while Intelsat is delivering the Internet connectivity.

Each mobile unit is equipped with satellite antennas that provide internet to the municipalities which the PRTRB determined have the greatest telecommunications needs. Those mobile WiFi vehicles are also leading a caravan of locally provided goodwill and services such as FEMA, banking, insurance, food, water, medical supplies and doctors to 29 remote towns that do not currently have internet connectivity, Liberty Global added.

“Liberty Global’s free WiFi Tour represents our steadfast commitment to aiding the people of Puerto Rico at their greatest time of need with services that have an immediate impact,” Liberty Global CEO Mike Fries said in a statement. “I can attest first-hand to the bravery of Puerto Ricans, and to the fierce determination of our Liberty employees in helping restore services to our customers. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board, the Government of Puerto Rico and our collaborating partners for coming together to bring this private enterprise and public agency partnership to life.”

Liberty Global has already committed $1 million of funding to the Liberty Foundation in Puerto Rico and the Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation, which were established to assist victims of the recent hurricanes in the region.

Last week, Liberty Global noted in its Q3 results that the effects of the recent storms negatively impacted Liberty Puerto Rico’s and C&W's revenue by an estimated $19 million and $3 million, respectively.

Univision Steps Up Harvey Relief Efforts

Mike Farrell — Fri, 01 Sep 2017 20:19:00 +0000

Spanish-language broadcaster Univision Communications, whose roots trace back to the San Antonio, Texas, area hit by the storm, announced a company-wide effort to provide support for victims of Hurricane Harvey dubbed Unidos Por Los Nuestros, a campaign across its broadcast and digital media assets to support both immediate-and long-term relief efforts throughout Texas and Louisiana.

“As we have witnessed the unimaginable devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey, our focus has been on the safety of the community,” Univision CEO Randy Falco said in a statement. “The areas in Harvey’s path of destruction include major Spanish-speaking communities and we take very seriously our responsibility to provide real-time information to help keep them safe. We are also leveraging our extensive multi-media platform to inform our audiences nationwide how they can contribute effectively. We are grateful that our many employees in the region are safe and are proud of their efforts to support the well-being of those in need.”

To support disaster relief efforts, UCI is doing the following:

Disaster Relief Support

UCI is committing at least $500,000, including a $250,000 cash donation, to three organizations: the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA and the Texas Diaper Bank. The company’s commitment extends to providing in-kind support, dedicating digital and on-air programming, working with partners on Public Service Announcements, and creating an employee relief fundraiser to further relief and recovery efforts.
UCI is launching the Unidos Por Los Nuestros campaign across all of its national, local and digital media assets, in an effort to raise additional and ongoing funds from its audiences.
UCI and Live Nation have jointly committed to donate a portion of the proceeds for the recently-announced Oct. 8 “Amor a La Música” live concert in Miami to benefit victims of Hurricane Harvey.
UCI local television and radio stations across the country are holding blood drives, food and clothing drives, phone banks, telethons, and programming efforts in support of those impacted by Harvey. In addition, San Antonio and Austin stations have officially become drop-off locations for their local food banks. UCI employees delivered 200 care packages to their colleagues in Houston this week.
Leading national UCI radio personality Raul Brindis will continue his efforts to keep the Houston Hispanic community up to date with the latest news as well as directing resources for aid and assistance via on-air, digital and in person relief efforts.

Programming

Univision 45 KXLN-TV in Houston is continuing to broadcast non-stop coverage of the hurricane and relief efforts. Through their coverage in the Houston area, UCI’s two television stations, four radio stations and digital properties are providing vital information on recovery efforts, shelters, evacuation, and pantries.
Tonight, Sept. 1, the Univision Network’s nightly newscast will be extended, airing live from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
On Sunday, Sept.r 3, “Al Punto,” the Sunday morning news program on the Univision Network hosted by Jorge Ramos, will feature two segments on Hurricane Harvey about heroic stories of volunteer rescuers and first-hand accounts of victims. “Al Punto” will also provide updates on hurricane and relief-related developments and the block of the controversial Texas immigration bill, SB4.
Also on Sunday, “Aquí y Ahora” will air live from Houston.