Outer Reach COVID-19 Stakeholder Letter
To our valued subscribers and partners:
We hope that you and your families are staying safe and healthy in this challenging time as our communities continue to deal with the effects of COVID-19.
It is important you know that Outer Reach remains committed to delivering the essential broadband services that Mainers rely on to keep connected to their family, friends, jobs and community. At Outer Reach we are committed to maintaining the same great internet service that you rely on, while simultaneously maintaining safe working conditions for all our employees.
While we are not on the frontlines battling COVID-19 like our doctors, nurses and emergency medical personnel, we take our responsibilities as an essential service provider extremely seriously in this unprecedented time. That includes:
In response to COVID-19 the Federal Communications Commission has encouraged ISPs to pledge to “Keep Americans Connected”. While we did not need encouragement from the FCC to support our subscribers and communities we agree that it would be improper to cancel service due to nonpayment during the COVID-19 response. We know that it is vital for everyone to stay connected. The FCC also asked ISPs to lift data caps and do away with late fees. Outer Reach does not have data caps so that was never applicable.
Furthermore, as our subscribers and partners expect, Outer Reach is following all recommended CDC guidelines and instituting rigorous protocols for our teams working with customers. This translates into cleaning and disinfecting all equipment, wearing a mask and gloves during all installations and customer interactions; frequent hand-washing and strictly observing social distancing practices (no handshaking, maintaining a six foot distance when possible).
The Outer Reach team is thankful for your support during this time and we know that support needs to be reciprocated. Our team remains available 24/7 to help you navigate everything from working from home to helping get your kids set up for e-learning.
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to evolve, we promise to continue to be responsive to the needs of our communities and always remain true to our core mission of providing Mainers high-quality, affordable broadband.
Be well and stay safe,
Tom Kirby
Co-Founder and President
Outer Reach COVID-19 Safety Notice
November, 2020 — In these trying times, Outer Reach Broadband is continuing its full operations and network deployment in accordance with all guidelines provided by state government and health officials.
To ensure the continued health and safety of our customers, partners and team members we have implemented certain safety protocols in line with the aforementioned state and health guidelines. These include –
- Confirmation of the health and safety of each customer and technician on the date of service
- All in-person communications between customer and technician will be held at a safe distance, preferably with the technician outside the customer’s home
- Required daily equipment for technicians – mask or face covering, gloves, sanitizer / disinfectant
- Hand washing and / or sanitization before and after touching any equipment in a customer’s home. We also ask that our customers wash their hands before touching anything the technician may also be required to handle
- Complete avoidance of personal contact (handshakes, fist bumps, sharing of writing implements) between customer and technician
Furthermore, if you are not well and unable to reschedule before the technician arrives, we ask that you notify him or her before they enter your home. We empower our technicians to make decisions regarding their personal health and safety, including ending appointments early if anyone in the household is showing symptoms of flu or other contagious illnesses.
