Broward woman’s cable TV service is cut off

The language on the Federal Communications Commission’s website seems simple enough.

According to a “pledge” signed by the nation’s cable and internet providers, for the next two months, there will be no termination of “service to any residential or small business customers because of their inability to pay their bills due to the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.”

Turns out, the pledge does not appear to apply to TV.

That was news to Kimberly Martinez Malo, a Broward resident, who discovered on Friday morning that her cable TV connection, Xfinity by Comcast, had been shut off.

Martinez Malo has been indefinitely furloughed from her job as an administrative assistant and currently has no source of active income. She said she had been led to believe by Comcast that no such shutoff would occur.

A representative for Comcast confirmed that customers like Martinez Malo do have the option to go to a lower-tiered payment system to help maintain their internet connections.

People who have lost their jobs or are suffering other financial distresses are able to enroll in an assistance program for $14.95 per month that gives them internet service of 25 mbps, which is fast enough to stream local TV channels on a laptop without the use of any extra equipment. Customers are eligible for the program even if they have a current or past due balance.

That outstanding balance is placed on hold as long as the subscriber remains in the assistance program.

“We have committed to keep our customers connected by internet and voice so they have access to important information, including news and streaming video,” said Mindy Kramer, a spokesperson for Comcast Florida Region. “But we also do not want our customers to find themselves in a position where they continue to accrue an outstanding balance including video services over a period of many months.”

Other options include downgrading your existing cable and internet package to a basic program, which allows you to keep watching local stations on your TV and an internet speed of 100 mbps. The basic package costs $50 per month.

But Comcast said TV service is not part of its FCC pledge, noting “The FCC pledge, which Comcast signed and fully supports, applies to internet and voice customers.”

Martinez Malo said she already had a payment arrangement with Comcast, and had called to ask for a new arrangement because she knew she wouldn’t be able to make even the old arrangement.

“It was looking very grim for me.”

Martinez Malo said Comcast said she could not keep the cable. Instead, she said, it offered her a way to stream programs over her TV.

Martinez Malo said she would have been fine with even a simple TV package.

“I just want the basic channels — 7, 10, 4, 6, just those. And [the Comcast representative] said no, there’s nothing he could do.

“They said I would need a Roku,” she added. “I looked it up. I couldn’t understand what you need to make it work. It’s a journey.”

But according to a spokesperson for Comcast, a Roku device is not required.

It’s not clear how many other customers like Martinez Malo exist. The FCC said that in its press release “Americans do not lose their broadband or telephone connectivity.”

For now, Martinez Malo said, “I can’t watch the news, and can’t stay connected.”

Have you had any of your phone, cable, or internet service shut off? Email rwile@miamiherald.com.