Cell providers waiving fees for furloughed workers

With the latest government shutdown in the United States now officially the longest ever, many federal employees are starting the feel the pain. Many worry that missed paychecks will mean that they will not be able to support themselves and their families. Fortunately, Americans are coming together to support their hurting friends and neighbors. Even the “big three” national cellphone carries are coming up with creative ways to reduce the burden on suffering government employees.

Verizon announced Monday that they will be waiving late and agent assist fees for those government workers that have been “directly impacted” by the government shutdown.

We appreciate everything you do and we’ll continue to do what we can to help you stay connected.

Nancy Clark, Verizon Senior Vice President of Customer Support

Verizon customers have a number of options to take advantage of this assistance. For those familiar with Verizon’s self-help tools will now find additional options for these programs. Those more comfortable discussing these assistance programs with a live agent over the phone can contact Verizon at 1-866-266-1445. Verizon also wants to make sure that affected consumers are aware of its Promise to Pay program.

AT&T and T-Mobile have both advised affected government workers to reach out to their customer service departments directly so that arrangements can be made for their accounts.

While deferred payments and waived fees may seem insignificant to some, they undoubtedly come as a welcome bit of relief for the over 800,000 federal employees that have been furloughed or made to work without pay as a result of the government shutdown.