T-Mobile says that it will offer free use of its hotspots across parts of Southern California: The company has made this rather classy offer in the past, too, during other disasters. Service is free across six counties: Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. This includes airports, Starbucks, FedEx Kinko's, Borders, Hyatt Hotels, and Red Roof Inns, among other locations. Service will be free through Oct. 31 and encompasses 1,200 locations.
The press release notes, "The service is intended for those who have been displaced from their homes or are seeking refuge from the wildfires." Clearly, there's no enforcement of this, and I imagine there will be a big uptake from displaced workers, too, whether evacuated from their homes or not. There will be millions of people who have lost part or all their livelihood through this disaster.