Altice USA Commits $10 Million To Support Small Business Recovery

NEW YORK (April 23, 2020) – Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) has created a $10 million Community Relief Program aimed at supporting the recovery efforts of small and medium-sized business customers (SMBs) across the Company’s footprint. As SMBs face economic challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, this program will provide financial assistance and resources to customers facing financial pressure so they can recover and resume normal business operations.

The Company has also established a separate program to support Feeding America and the Boys & Girls Club of America, two charitable organizations focused on community recovery efforts. Altice USA CEO Dexter Goei pledged 35 percent of his salary for the remainder of 2020 to support this effort. Additionally, President of Telecommunications and Chief Operating Officer Hakim Boubazine, Chief Financial Officer Michael Grau, and President of News and Advertising Jon Steinberg pledged 25 percent of their salaries for the remainder of the year, while a number of other executives have also made donation pledges.

“We have the privilege of serving thousands of local small businesses and communities and that is a responsibility we take very seriously, especially during times like these,” says Goei. “Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities and while we play an important role in delivering to them essential telecommunications services, we also recognize they will need further assistance as restrictions ease and they eventually return to normal. Our hope is that our programs and charitable contributions will help provide that support and assistance to our communities as we get through this difficult time together.”

Altice will be reaching out to small business customers directly in the coming weeks to provide these resources.

To further support its local communities, Altice – through its Optimum, News 12 and a4 brands – has been raising awareness of local businesses that are still operating through a “We Are Open” campaign on News 12. To promote a local business in the Tri-state area or to learn how you can support a local business, visit www.News12.com. 

Altice has taken other steps during this pandemic to support customers and local communities such as:

• Joining the “Keep Americans Connected” Pledge, which provides relief to residential and business customers facing hardships as a result of the pandemic.
• Offering its Altice Advantage broadband service for free until the end of the 2019-2020 school year to households with K-12 and/or college students without home Internet access.
• Partnering with school districts in the Optimum service area to offer its Student WiFi product for no cost through the end of June. To date, the Company has connected more than 240K student devices to its hotspot network as part of this effort.
• Opening Emergency WiFi outdoor hotspots for public use.
• Providing free airtime for public service announcements (PSAs) to health, community and government officials to educate customers on how to stay safe and healthy.
• Collaborating with large hospital systems, schools and government agencies to ensure they have the connectivity services they need to assist the public during this time, including waiving fees for first responders and other critical entities.

For more information on what Altice is doing to keep employees and communities safe and connected during this time, visit www.alticeusa.com/together.

Media Contact:

Doug Serton // [email protected]

About Altice USA

Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) is one of the largest broadband communications and video services providers in the United States, delivering broadband, pay television, mobile, proprietary content and advertising services to more than 4.9 million residential and business customers across 21 states through its Optimum and Suddenlink brands. The company operates a4, an advanced advertising and data business, which provides audience-based, multiscreen advertising solutions to local, regional and national businesses and advertising clients. Altice USA also offers hyper-local, national, international and business news through its News 12, Cheddar and i24NEWS networks.