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chromas [soylentnews.org] writes:

Ars Technica [arstechnica.com]:

Wireless carriers' failure to fully restore cellular service in Florida after Hurricane Michael "is completely unacceptable," Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said today in a rare rebuke of the industry that he regulates.

Verizon in particular has been under fire from Florida Governor Rick Scott, who says Verizon hasn't done enough to restore service. By contrast, Scott has praised AT&T for its disaster response.

The FCC will open an investigation into the post-hurricane restoration efforts, Pai said. Pai and Scott urged wireless carriers to immediately disclose plans for restoring service, waive the October bills of affected customers, and let customers switch providers without penalty.

Pai's statement [fcc.gov] didn't name specific carriers. but Verizon seems to be struggling the most to restore service, based on criticism from the governor. Verizon was the only wireless carrier mentioned specifically by Scott today in a statement [flgov.com] that called on telecom companies to "treat Floridians fairly."

Gov. Scott suggested that Verizon has misled the public about its progress in restoring service. He said:

Verizon recently said in a press release that 98 percent of Florida has service. This statement, which includes customers in Florida that were hundreds of miles away from impacted areas, does not help Florida's law enforcement in Bay County and families communicate with loved ones in Panama City and does not help those needing medicine call their pharmacy in Lynn Haven.

[...] Verizon announced shortly after Pai's statement today that it will give three months of free mobile service to "every Verizon customer in Bay and Gulf counties."

"Verizon is 100 percent focused on repairing our network in the Florida Panhandle," the company said in a press release. "We are making progress every hour, and we expect that trend to continue at a rapid pace. We won't rest until service is completely restored."

Also at Reuters [reuters.com] & The Washington Post [washingtonpost.com]

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