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SALT LAKE CITY — While the people on the front lines in the fight against the novel coronavirus undoubtedly have many worries, their cellphone bills will no longer be one of them.
AT&T is providing three months of free wireless service through its FirstNet network to health care workers dealing with the coronavirus response in the United States, the company announced this week.
"They are working around the clock, on the frontlines to combat the COVID-19 health crisis," AT&T Communications CEO Jeff McElfresh said in a news release. "We want to be there to keep them connected. And that's exactly what FirstNet delivers."
The FirstNet network, which prioritizes first responders’ calls and traffic over the network, was built in a public-private partnership with the U.S. government.
Nurses and physicians who are already on FirstNet mobile responder plans will get a three-month credit automatically applied to their line of service. Beginning Monday, new subscribers were also eligible for the credit.
The news was first announced on the popular internet show "Some Good News" hosted by John Krasinski on Sunday. In the episode, a group of nurses at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston are surprised with a trip to Fenway Park where they are celebrated — via the ballpark's video screen by the entire Boston Red Sox team, among others.
That act continues the outpouring support for the health care community from companies and celebrities, alike.
Earlier this month, Jimmy Kimmel had St. George nurse Kimball Fairbanks on his show to thank her after Fairbanks tested positive for COVID-19 after helping treat the disease.
During the video chat on the show, Kimmel had Jennifer Aniston surprise Fairbanks by not only jumping in to meet her, but also informing the nurse she will receive $10,000 from Postmates to help pay for any food deliveries.
"I just have to say God bless you and all of you that are out there doing what you're doing," Aniston told Fairbanks. "I don't even know how to express my gratitude to everything you guys are doing and putting your health at risk and all of that. You're just phenomenal."
