Mid-Rivers Members, Customers & Communities,
Based on guidance from State and Local Government & Public Health officials, Mid-Rivers Communications has implemented the following procedures effective immediately to help keep our communities safe:
- Mid-Rivers Business Offices Closed to the Public: Doors will be closed to all public entry, but employees will remain at work to service the public through the phone, our drop boxes, drive-ups, and online (live chat at www.midrivers.com, SmartHub at https://midrivers.smarthub.coop/, or the My Mid-Rivers mobile app). We are still here to support and service your needs, just not through walk-in traffic.
- Mid-Rivers Technicians Not Going Into Homes: To protect you and keep our employees healthy and working, our Technicians will work troubles and installs on the outside and deliver equipment that may need to be installed inside the residence or business, walking customers through how and where to install. This is effective immediately and includes scheduled appointments, which Technicians will keep but will handle from outside the premise to the extent possible. There may be cases where going into a home or business is necessary, those will be handled on a case-by-case basis with safety the top priority. Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) cutovers will be suspended until further notice.
- Limited Contact with Public for All Employees: Other employees may be rescheduling or canceling meetings or other contact in the interest of limiting person-to-person contact wherever possible.
We know you may have additional questions about Mid-Rivers operations during this unprecedented situation. We have attempted to address common concerns below and will issue further statements with any relevant updates.
- Late Fees, Disconnects for Non-Payment, Free Services, etc.: As always, our Customer Service Representatives are empowered to provide solutions to customer issues and help you when you call by trying to address your personal concerns. It is our practice to waive late fees, set up payment plans for customers who may need it to prevent disconnection of services, and offer a hand up in hard times. That has not changed, so contact us if you need help. We want you to remain our customer and keep your critical services.
- Capacity Questions: Mid-Rivers voice and Internet capacity are continually monitored, and capacity looks good at this time. We do not currently have concerns with our capacity to meet Internet demand, as typically online education systems are not data-intensive, and we anticipate traffic spikes to be comparable to Christmas Break and other times school is out. Keep in mind that if you experience problems with apps like Zoom or WebEx, it may be due to those systems being overloaded (not your Internet connection). Capacity, reliability and dependability are our number one focus during this time when access to your Internet connection is more critical than ever.
- Customer Wide Open Data Usage: There are many things you can do to limit data usage if you have concerns. Educational apps typically use very little data.HD and other high-resolution video streaming and online gaming are by far the largest users of Internet data. You can visit https://www.midrivers.com/manage-your-data.html or talk to any of our representatives about simple steps to take if you have concerns.
If you are sick, please stay home and get well. If you are streaming while at home, you can make simple settings adjustments to limit usage. If you need help keeping your services connected, call us. Our employees are still here waiting for your call.
Michael Candelaria
General Manager & CEO