Comcast to Waive Fees in Flood-Ravaged Town

Comcast is going to give residential customers in Ellicott City, Md., a break if they were affected by the flooding that ravaged the historic town.

Flooding July 29 took two lives and caused millions in property damage as well as dumping millions of gallons of raw sewage into a nearby river.

"I've heard from several constituents who have been displaced by the flooding about cancellation charges related to cable, internet and other services," Howard County (Md.) executive Allan Kittleman said on his Facebook page Thursday night. "We're reaching out to ask those service providers to work with residents and consider waiving those charges. Please stay tuned and do not hesitate to contact us if we can be of help in any way."

But only hours later, he had an update. "Comcast reached back out to my staff late last night and has advised us that they will work with residents & businesses impacted by the flooding. They will waive early termination fees and will not bill customers during the time that the customer is displaced."

A Comcast spokesperson confirmed the waiver and said it would last "as long as they don't have 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.