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A CEREMONIAL RESOLUTION
20-150
IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
December 3, 2013
To recognize Comcast Cable for providing free calls to the Philippines for its Xfinity Voice residential customers during the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan.
WHEREAS, Super Typhoon Haiyan entered the Philippines on November, 6, 2013, and by November 7, 2013, generated winds of 195 miles per hour and gusts of wind reaching approximately 235 miles per hour;
WHEREAS, Super Typhoon Haiyan first struck Dulag and Tacloban and flooded these Filipino towns with almost 50 feet of water;
WHEREAS, Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated several areas in the Philippines with death tolls reaching 4,011 and missing persons reaching an estimated 1,602;
WHEREAS, Comcast is a media and technology company founded by Ralph Roberts in 1963, and over the years has brought TV, high-speed Internet, and digital phone to millions of people;
WHEREAS, Comcast has provided service to Washingtonians by way of one of its offices located in Ward 5 at 900 Michigan Ave, N.E., Washington, DC, 20017;
WHEREAS, Comcast has not only provided media and technology to Washingtonians but has also created the Comcast Cares Day, the company’s signature celebration of service and the nation’s largest single-day corporate volunteer effort;
WHEREAS, Comcast began Comcast Cares Day in 2001 and in 2013, a record 85,000-plus volunteers contributed more than half a million hours to improve more than 750 parks, schools, beaches, senior centers, and other vital community sites in 7 countries worldwide;
WHEREAS, since the first Comcast Cares Day, more than half a million volunteers have contributed more than 3 million service hours;
WHEREAS, Comcast’s commitment to the community prompted its response to the devastation of Super Typhoon Haiyan, and Comcast provided free calls to the Philippines for its 10.5 million Xfinity Voice residential customers during the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan between November 8th and November 30, 2013;
WHEREAS, Comcast sought to help unite families and friends in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Haiyan by crediting and waiving fees automatically without requiring customer action;
WHEREAS, Comcast also provided free texting to the Philippines through November 30, 2013, through the Xfinity Connect application; and
WHEREAS, Comcast expanded the offer to help customers stay better connected to news and updates in the wake of the Super Typhoon Haiyan by providing more access to the TV networks on the ground in the Philippines, worked with more Filipino channels, offered its network without subscription to all Xfinity TV digital customers through November 30 in areas where the channel is currently carried, and partnered with GMA Pinoy, another Filipino news network, to offer the channel to all Xfinity TV digital customers through November 30.
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this resolution may be cited as the “Comcast Philippines Relief Recognition Resolution of 2013”.
Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia recognizes Comcast for its relief efforts in the Philippines following the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan.
Sec. 3. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon the first date of publication in the District of Columbia Register.
