Comcast is contributing $250,000 to charities helping Alabama communities recover from the tornadoes that ripped through the state last month, and the MSO said it is spending millions of dollars to repair its network in affected areas.
The cable operator donated $200,000 to Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley's Emergency Relief Fund, which will be administered by the governor's Office on Faith Based and Community Initiatives with the United Ways of Alabama serving as the fiscal agent.
Comcast also will make two contributions of $25,000 each to the local Red Cross of West Alabama and to the National Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.
In addition to cash contributions and rebuilding efforts, Comcast has established two disaster relief communication centers in Tuscaloosa, Ala., to let local residents access high-speed Internet and voice services free of charge.
Comcast said employees have been "working around the clock" to restore communication services to affected markets throughout Northern Alabama and the southeast part of the state. The MSO said it will invest millions of dollars for infrastructure repairs to maintain communication services in the hardest-hit areas.
"We are committed to be there when our customers and employees are in need," Comcast market vice president Terry Kennedy said in a statement. "Since day one, Comcast employees have been working side by side with our fellow Alabamians in the restoration efforts."
Bentley commended the cable company in his prepared remarks: "Comcast is a true example of corporate citizenship of the highest order, and we are humbled by the charitable gift that will help get the necessary supplies and relief to our fellow citizens so they can recover and rebuild their lives after the tornado outbreak. I appreciate the generosity of Comcast and their commitment to Alabama families."
Among other MSOs pitching in to help communities in the aftermath of devastating tornadoes, Time Warner Cable contributed $542,000, including $268,000 raised through a News 14 telethon for American Red Cross relief efforts in North Carolina.
And Charter Communications contributed $50,000 to the American Red Cross for storm recovery in communities in and around its headquarters city of St. Louis, Mo.
