Public safety
& education
First responders. Teachers. Government.
When they run to a crisis, we run alongside with them.
Your questions. Our answers.
First responders, government and health
What additional resources are you providing for first responders and government agencies?
We are committed to supporting first responders, public health agencies and federal, state and local government agencies with technology and connectivity solutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Verizon Response Team is currently leading nearly 160 engagements in the United States and has deployed mobile cell sites, WiFi hotspots, free charging stations and other solutions that help boost network performance and enable communications.
How is Verizon helping to keep healthcare workers, first responders and others on the frontlines of this pandemic connected?
We’re working with education, government and healthcare agencies to provide remote connectivity options, call centers, interactive voice response services (IVRs) and conferencing solutions. We’ve also deployed portable cell sites at Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), coronavirus mobile testing sites and quarantine areas in Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas and Washington, to increase network capacity at these locations.
Other initiatives include:
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Standing up a COVID-19 hotline for a state’s department of health
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Working with school systems to provide MiFi devices to enable remote learning
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Working with a city government to add capacity to 311 systems
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Setting up an integrated voice response system for a state department of health to allow better management of incoming calls
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Providing additional phones to multiple agencies to allow more workers the ability to work remotely
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Working with a federal agency to improve integrated voice response systems to better manage call queue
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Activating conference lines for county governments to enable essential functions to continue
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Supporting conference bridges for multiple state and federal agencies
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Sponsoring a number of small business restaurants in New York City to prepare daily meals to feed frontline healthcare workers during the month of April. The ordering and delivery process is managed by Grubhub which donated its service to help this cause.
How are you helping government workers to work remotely?
We regularly consult with our government customers to address these needs before they arise. As a result, many of these customers are already equipped with what they need for their workforce to work remotely.
Even with this, we’re seeing an increase in both business and government customer requests to rapidly enable or expand their workforces’ ability to work remotely. Our teams are working diligently to meet and respond to customer orders and inquiries. While a small number of specific devices have been on backorder, and the situation will remain fluid, we are not currently aware of shortages that would delay our ability to fulfill our government customers’ needs.
For the latest news updates check here.
I am a legitimate caller using an autodialer to make legitimate calls. What should I do if Verizon has mistakenly marked my phone number as spam? And how can I register my number so that Verizon knows that it is legitimate?
We encourage callers who use autodialers for legitimate purposes to register their numbers so that we can make sure they are treated appropriately. Consumers and businesses can contact us with any concerns about incorrectly marked/blocked calls or how to register their phone numbers. We also educate legitimate businesses about “best practices” they can follow to reduce the risks of getting caught in blocking or labeling tools.
Our communities and commitment to education
What is Verizon doing for communities and people in need during this crisis?
We are supporting our communities with $48 million dollars in contributions and donations to nonprofits directed at supporting students, healthcare first responders and small businesses, including:
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No Kid Hungry
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American Red Cross
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The Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP) COVID-19 Response Fund
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Direct Relief,
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The COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the World Health Organization (WHO)’s global response
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The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
These organizations will ensure those most in need receive the support they need at this difficult time.
What is Verizon doing to help students and schools as they transition to remote learning?
Many schools across the country have closed and teachers and students are shifting to digital learning. While our increased data efforts are focused on the under-resourced students within our Verizon Innovative Learning Schools, we have digital resources available to all schools and teachers across the country.
The Verizon Innovative Learning Schools Connection website has a number of resources including tips to prepare for and implement robust digital learning plans.
Additionally, The New York Times and Verizon are giving students and teachers in every high school in America free access to NYTimes.com from April 6 to July 6, 2020. This includes teaching and learning resources from The Times Learning Network as well as a special coronavirus resource collection for students, updated daily during this crisis. Parents, students and teachers should contact their school to sign up. School administrators must register for the free digital access at nytimes.com/highschoolaccess.
Knowing many students also rely on schools for more than learning, our $5 million contribution to No Kid Hungry will help ensure children from low-income families still have access to healthy meals while their schools are closed.
What is Verizon doing to support the students in the Verizon Innovative Learning (VIL) program?
We have tripled the data allowances for all students and teachers in our Verizon Innovative Learning programs. Effective March 16, the additional connectivity includes all tablets and laptops within the program and upgrades to data plans from 10GB per month to 30GB per month through June 30. The data increase will impact up to 116,000 students and teachers within Verizon Innovative Learning schools and help provide increased access to remote instruction as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect school operations.
What additional resources are available for students?
The New York Times and Verizon are giving students and teachers in every high school in America free access to NYTimes.com from April 6 to July 6, 2020. With millions of students across the country impacted by school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, this partnership will help to keep them educated, informed and connected. It will also help them develop a deeper understanding of how the crisis is reshaping the world, and what that means for them. This includes teaching and learning resources from The Times Learning Network as well as a special coronavirus resource collection for students, updated daily during this crisis.
School administrators must register for the free digital access at nytimes.com/highschoolaccess. Parents, students and teachers should contact their school to sign up. Click here for more information.
A message from Andrès Irlando, President, Public Sector
Valued Federal, State, Local and Education Customers:
With everything that has taken place over the last few weeks, I want to thank you for your dedication and commitment to supporting, protecting and serving our communities. Many of you are leading the charge in the response to the coronavirus, and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you.
This pandemic has served as a reminder for why we do what we do: to deliver the solutions, services and expertise that are critical to your missions.
Follow Verizon public sector
Here is a snapshot on some of the ways we’ve been supporting the public sector in its efforts to respond to COVID-19:
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Deploying tablets and smartphones, charging stations and portable cell sites to deliver network coverage at federal, state and local Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs), mobile virus testing sites and quarantine facilities.
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Helping school districts the Los Angeles Unified School District to bridge the digital divide and deliver distance learning solutions.
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Working to solve for the unique work-from-home needs of government employees related to security, bandwidth and compliance.
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Responding through the Verizon Response Team, which supports governments and nonprofits 24/7/365, which to-date has responded to nearly 200 requests for additional network coverage, free charging stations, additional equipment and more.
As we continue to adjust to this new and continuously evolving normal, we hope you will continue to call on us to support you and those you serve, and we will continue to rise to the challenge.