Comcast is providing free wi-fi access to its hotspots in Florida during Hurricane Irma, which is expected to hit the state later this week.
Comcast said access to more than 137,000 hotspots in Florida will be available to anyone, even non-customers, until Sept. 15.
“We know it’s critically important for everyone to have a means of communication at their disposal before, during and after a storm with the potential impact of Hurricane Irma,” Amy Smith, senior vice president for Comcast’s Florida Region, said in a press release on Wednesday. “By activating our WiFi hotspot network across the state now before the storm, we increase the chance that more people can stay connected. It’s something we’re proud to do for our communities and our state at a time when we all need to support each other.”
For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, which are located both indoors and outdoors in places such as shopping districts, parks and businesses, please visit Xfinity.com/wifi.
To access a hotspot, select the “xfinitywifi” network name in the list of available hotspots and then launch a browser. Customers can sign in with their usernames and passwords. Non-customers can visit the “Not an Xfinity Internet Customer” section on the sign-in page to access a hotspot. Comcast said non-customers will be able to renew their free sessions every 2 hours.
Hurricane Irma pummeled the Caribbean islands on Wednesday and is heading west to Puerto Rico. The hurricane is forecasted to hit Florida this week. Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency and residents are preparing for the Category 5 storm, which has maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.
Here’s the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center:
Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days. On the forecast track, the extremely dangerous core of Irma will pass just north of Puerto Rico tonight, pass near or just north of the coast of Hispaniola Thursday, and be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by Thursday evening.