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Local Voices

Comcast Helps Bridge the Digital Divide with Internet Essentials

In the 2013 school year, Comcast is helping to close the digital divide and get more Americans connected to the Internet at home through its Internet Essentials program.  In about two years, the program has connected more than 1 million low-income Americans, or about 250,000 families, to affordable broadband Internet service in their homes for less than $10 per month. This includes more than 17,000 people, or more than 4,300 families, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, more than doubling the number of statewide subscribers in the past year.

In addition to low-cost Internet service, Internet Essentials also offers qualified families the opportunity to purchase low-cost, Internet-ready computers for less than $150. Program participants also have the opportunity to gain access to free digital literacy education materials and resources.

The momentum of Comcast’s Internet Essentials program continues to grow in Virginia, where Comcast has partnered with more than 100 community based organizations to help spread the word about Internet Essentials, including the Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Nationwide, Comcast has partnered with nearly 7,000 community organizations, agencies and officials to help raise awareness about the program and provide digital literacy training.

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In addition, for the second time in two years, Comcast has increased its broadband speeds for Internet Essentials to up to 5 Mbps downstream and up to 1 Mbps upstream.  Comcast has also expanded the instant approval process to families with children that attend schools where 70 percent or more of the students are eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).  Students at private schools, parochial schools and home schools, in addition to public and charter school students, are also now eligible to take advantage of Internet Essentials.

To qualify for Internet Essentials, a family must live in an area where Comcast provides service and have at least one child eligible for free or reduced-price school lunch through the NSLP. Families must not have subscribed to Comcast Internet service in the past 90 days or have an overdue service bill or unreturned equipment.                                         

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To learn more about Internet Essentials or to enroll, visit InternetEssentials.com (1-855-846-8376) or InternetBasico.com (1-855-765-6995) for Spanish language materials. Educators, community groups or civic leaders wishing to learn more about sharing Internet Essentials information with their constituents should visit partner.internetessentials.com.

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