(Hagerstown, MD) Antietam Broadband increased their support of Washington County, customers and local businesses announcing today the creation of Local Shopping. Antietam created Local Shopping, much like Local Eats, as a community resource to direct residents toward local businesses still open during the pandemic, and who are in need of community support. Local Shopping will give residents details on the more than 500 community businesses that can take phone/internet orders and who will deliver and/or provide curbside pickup. The directory will be updated as new businesses are added. Local Shopping is live on Antietam’s website at WCLV-TV Local Shopping and information can be found at Local Shopping.
“Antietam Broadband is providing a real life-line between our business and the community,” said Mark and Kim Raidt, owners of Laber’s Office Furniture Company. “We desperately need the support of the local community right now in order to have our doors open after this pandemic, and we are grateful that Antietam is stepping up to help.”
Over 5,000 Access Local Eats in First Week
Since the launch of Local Eats on March 30th, more than five thousand unique visitors have accessed the program, with more than 118 restaurants participating.
• Local Eats and Local Shopping are also produced as video programs available on Washington County Living Television (WCL-TV) found on channels 6 and 806 which is a product of Antietam Broadband and exclusive to Antietam customers.
• Local Eats and Local Shopping can be found on the WCL-TV On The Go App for Android and Apple, available to all residents.
Resources for the Community
As a long-standing partner of many local organization, Antietam continues to look for ways to utilize their resources to support Washington County during the pandemic. A sample of some key partnerships include:
As a community service, Antietam Broadband partnered with Washington County to create an overview video that highlights the County’s multidepartment COVID-19 response. The fifteen-minute video can be found: on WCLV-TV, the WCLV-TV App and Antietam’s YouTube Channel.
On-Track has compiled a good list for some home-based learning resources available without charge:
1. Most schools have A-Z online subscriptions that have leveled books. Ask your teacher for information on logging in.
2. Check out Amazing Educational Resources, The Digital Public Library of America and Madison Wisconsin Midvale Elementary Library Media Center for great resources.
3. Have Fun Teaching is offering free “relief packs” of educational resources for a variety of age levels. Antietam Broadband would like to stress the importance of the Safe Kids Washington County Program during this time. The program offers a Parent’s Checklist for preventing Injuries during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The checklist provides tips for keeping kids Safe at Home, Around Cars and Staying Active and Injury Free. More information can be found at Safe Kids.
Employee and Customer Safety
Antietam Broadband continues their effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Field Operations are taking precautions to reduce the transmission of this communicable disease.
All Antietam employees are provided with the following personal protection equipment: hand sanitizer, Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, disinfecting wipes for electronic devices (mobile phone, laptops), disposable rubber gloves, disposable boot covers and face masks (surgical style masks).
To provide protection for our customers, Antietam employees will:
• Frequently use hand sanitizer before and after each customer contact.
• Use Antietam issued remote control to test customers equipment.
• Wear boot covers and masks on all interior tasks.
• Wipe down frequently touched areas and tools with provided Clorox wipes (steering wheel, truck door handles, Hand Tools) and use electronic device wipes at least daily.
Out of an abundance of caution Antietam will now require all technicians to regularly check their temperature at the start of every shift. Any temperature reading of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will trigger the COVID-19 precautions, which include isolation.
Antietam will continue the practice of pre-calling a household before an installation or service check-up to ensure there is no sickness in the home and the visit is required. Whenever possible, Antietam will limit customer facing activity to restore service, installation and upgrades. For more information Antietam Broadband Community Message.
Customer Awareness – Beware of Scams
Cyber criminals are taking advantage of the current Covid-19 outbreak as an opportunity to launch greater numbers of phishing attempts. As a result, the United States is seeing an exponential increase in malicious email. Extra vigilance is required when communicating. Below are some best practices:
• Do not respond to calls, emails or texts from unknown numbers, or any others that appear suspicious.
• Never share your personal or financial information via email, text messages, or over the phone.
• Do not click any links or attachments from sources you don’t know. If a friend sends you a message with a suspicious link or attachment that seems out of character, call them to make sure they weren’t hacked.
• Don’t respond to texts, emails or calls about checks from the government. The details are still coming together. • Ignore online offers for vaccinations and home test kits. There are no products yet proven to treat or prevent COVID-19 at this time.
• Watch for emails claiming to be from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) or World Health Organization (WHO). Use sites like coronavirus.gov and usa.gov/coronavirus to get the latest information.
“As always, Antietam Broadband stands ready to support Washington County 24×7”, said Brian Lynch President, Antietam Broadband. “Our team is working diligently to keep our network running at an optimal level, ensuring the connectivity everyone requires is delivered”, said Lynch. “With demand increasing, our network continues to operate under maximum threshold and maintains its resilience. The Antietam Team is working tirelessly to support their families, friends, neighbors and the entire Washington County community.”
About Antietam Broadband:
Antietam Broadband was founded in 1966 and was purchased by Schurz Communications, Inc. in 1968. It is a full-service telecommunications company offering a complete range of residential and business-class technology solutions including digital television, high-speed Internet and digital phone services in Washington County, MD. Antietam introduced Flight Gigabit Internet service in 2016 and made Hagerstown the 75th gigabit city in the USA. The company is focused on enhancing the lives of its customers by providing the latest telecommunication services and maintaining the highest standards of excellence in customer care and world class technical service.
For more information: Antietam Broadband
Antietam Broadband contact: Brian Lynch, President, [email protected]