T-Mobile Offering Free Data to Harvey-Affected Subs

T-Mobile has expanded its efforts to help its subscribers and others in the ongoing wake of Hurricane Harvey, which has been hammering the Gulf Coast. In addition to offering free texts and calling to affected customers, it is offering unlimited data to all T-Mobile and Metro PCS customers per the following tweet from CEO John Legere:

Please stay safe & connected! @TMobile customers can use free unl'd data/text/call til 9/1 #HurricaneHarveyhttps://t.co/SEf7BrbjLw

— John Legere (@JohnLegere) August 28, 2017

The company has also set up a "text to give" number to raise donations for the relief effort. To donate $10, text HARVEY to 90999, said the company.

Between Aug. 25 and Sept. 1, customers in these area codes can call anywhere in the U.S. free: Texas: 830, 512, 210, 936, 956, 361, 979, 281, 832, 713, 936, 409; Louisiana: 337, 985.

“Thanks to wireless, millions of people in the path of Hurricane Harvey have been able to seek help and connect with family and loved ones in the face of this unprecedented event,” said CTIA President Meredith Attwell Baker of the efforts of T-Mobile and others. “I’m proud of the planning and close collaboration of carriers to prepare for the storm and the ongoing work to both maintain and restore service.”

John Eggerton

Contributing editor John Eggerton has been an editor and/or writer on media regulation, legislation and policy for over four decades, including covering the FCC, FTC, Congress, the major media trade associations, and the federal courts. In addition to Multichannel News and Broadcasting + Cable, his work has appeared in Radio World, TV Technology, TV Fax, This Week in Consumer Electronics, Variety and the Encyclopedia Britannica.