OnStar has given customers in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene free access to their onboard WiFi capabilities. If you have a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac with Onstar system inside, you now have wifi access, even if you don't have an onStar subscription: www.onstar.com/services/cri... - ThreadSky

wolvendamien.bsky.social • 153 days ago

OnStar has given customers in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene free access to their onboard WiFi capabilities.

If you have a Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, or Cadillac with Onstar system inside, you now have wifi access, even if you don't have an onStar subscription:
https://www.onstar.com/services/crisis-mode

Comments

rdaily.medsky.social•152 days ago

Note that OnStar uses the AT&T cell network for service, so only marginally helpful. Can get out sometimes where a handheld phone will not as has a better antenna and more power.

dandwig.bsky.social•151 days ago

Can it access other networks through roaming? The state has implemented "disaster roaming".

rdaily.medsky.social•151 days ago

I do not know if OnStar can do that like a phone can if you turn off blocking roaming. It is pretty locked into AT&T usually. Can not change carriers.

templedrake.bsky.social•152 days ago

A corporation doing the right thing????

I'm in shock.

noncompliant.bsky.social•152 days ago

It does happen, particularly during emergencies. When FT McMurray burned to the ground in 2016, it displaced ~90k people, who had to disperse all over the province. Shaw opened all their WiFi hotspots (normally for customers only) to free access and deployed extra to emergency shelter locations. 🤷🏽👍

deathbymeteor.bsky.social•152 days ago

Shaw has also done things like waiving long distance call minute use or costs to international destinations after disasters there, so people could check on their families

It is still weird to see car companies doing it though

noncompliant.bsky.social•152 days ago

I work(ed) for Shaw through a few of those. They also did the same thing with Freedom, as well IIRC, making data free regardless of accounts, pausing charging for pay-as-you-go etc. For all they’re a huge company, they seemed to have actual values at the top-level.

noncompliant.bsky.social•152 days ago

Oh yah, no argument. But then, I doubt they’ve ever really been in a position to do this sort of thing. I think the Onstar Wifi hotspot is fairly new. If you think of them as widely distributed network with multiple (and movable!) access points, it makes sense that somebody there thought to do it.

noncompliant.bsky.social•152 days ago

Though I may be wrong and this has happened before, but no don’t think so. I wouldn’t be surprised if right now somebody is thinking about ways this can be applied for future disasters. I can think of a few different ways they could use this to enable volunteer assistance.

noncompliant.bsky.social•152 days ago

Actually,‘I should have read more of their site. It looks like this is a pre-existing policy. The Archive has the page as far back as Dec 2022.

marythetrainer.bsky.social•152 days ago

Right? It used to be expected, now it’s shocking.

peebeejaybee.bsky.social•152 days ago

Call me cynical, but I betcha there's an automatic paid subscription begin/renewal in there somewhere

dandwig.bsky.social•151 days ago

Meh, the incremental cost to them from doing this is less than getting equivalent positive press would cost in advertising fees.

I'm not saying corporate governance never tries to do the right thing, but I'm betting the accounts still ran the numbers.

wolvendamien.bsky.social•152 days ago

Would be pretty shitty and would get them a lot of bad press, so hopefully they're not that shortsighted

peebeejaybee.bsky.social•152 days ago

🤞

tinavstammy.bsky.social•151 days ago

I went to the page and you literally just push a button to activate it. They don't take a credit card or anything.

As best I can tell, you don't even have to be the owner of the car. Only able to start it.

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