Comcast offering discounted Internet for families in need

Dear Editor,

I would like to place a story in The Rapidian as a follow up to the Internet Essentials article by Benjamin Siekmeier from March 9.  Our mission is to close the digital divide. Comcast is offering Internet Essentials - discounted internet service for families with children enrolled in the National School Lunch program. Families enrolled can also redeem a voucher toward a netbook worth $150.  Comcast launched this program last fall and we would like more citizens to take advantage of this program.

Please find attached below an article describing the program.

Across the country, public officials, civic leaders, school districts, community-based organizations, and others have partnered with Comcast on a program called Internet Essentials. Internet Essentials isn’t just another Comcast product or service – it represents the largest broadband adoption program anywhere in America.

In a nutshell, Internet Essentials focuses on closing the digital divide and getting more low-income Americans connected to the Internet by providing:

• Low-cost broadband service for $9.95 a month.
• The option to purchase an Internet-ready computer for under $150.
• Multiple options for digital literacy training in print, online and in person.

Because there is no higher community investment priority for Comcast leadership than the Internet Essentials program, Comcast continually analyzes data and also commissions third-party survey research, including surveying families who have signed up for the program and families who have not. Eight-six percent of Internet Essentials customers surveyed are highly satisfied with the product, and 99 percent of these surveyed customers would recommend Internet Essentials to others.

While the figures are gratifying, Comcast knows much more work needs to be done to ensure that Internet Essentials reaches the families this program was designed to reach – low-income students and their families who have not adopted broadband, due to a complex mix of low digital literacy, perceived lack of relevance of online content, and the need for low-cost, good quality computers and Internet service.

Comcast has:

• Connected more than 41,000 families (an estimated 160,000 Americans) to the power of the Internet in their homes, some for the very first time.
• Publicized the program across more than 4,000 school districts and 30,000 schools.
• Worked with more than 3,000 partners -- including governors, mayors, legislators, churches, libraries and PTAs -- to promote Internet Essentials and engage eligible families in their communities.
• Offered approximately 300 in-person digital literacy training sessions with more than 1,250 individual attendees

Based on feedback from community partners and potential customers, Comcast has adjusted certain elements of Internet Essentials and remains committed to continuing to refine the program. For example, new enhancements include:

• Expanding the eligibility criteria. Previously, Internet Essentials was available to families with children eligible to receive free school lunches as part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Going forward, Comcast will extend eligibility to families with children eligible to receive reduced price school lunches as well. An estimated 300,000 additional households will be eligible for Internet Essentials, bringing the total to 2.3 million eligible families.
• Streamlining the approval process by providing an instant approval process for all students who attend those schools with the highest percentage of NSLP participation. 

Comcast is pleased with what partners and Comcast employees have achieved by working together, but hard work remains. With the support of local communities, Comcast is looking forward to having an even bigger impact this year and beyond.