Nationally, More Than 100,000 Families or 400,000 Low-Income Americans Have Signed Up
XXX, XX– August XX, 2012 – Comcast today announced year two of Internet Essentials, an ambitious and comprehensive broadband adoption program designed to help close the digital divide for low-income Americans. In its first full year of availability, more than 100,000 families, or 400,000 Americans, are now online and Comcast continues to enhance the program with new features and add new processes designed to accelerate enrollment in the program.
“This milestone is a testament to all the hard work and dedication of our employees and our community partners, the support we have received from school districts and elected officials, as well as from ordinary people who heard about the program and helped a family get online – many for the first time,” said David L. Cohen, Comcast Corporation Executive Vice President. “We won’t stop here. We have a lot more work to do because the fact remains that far too many Americans, many from low-income families, are still not connected to the Internet and taking advantage of all that it has to offer,” added Cohen.
New in 2012:
Since Internet Essentials launched, Comcast has made a number of program enhancements including:
• Expanded eligibility criteria to include families with children eligible to receive reduced price school lunches under the National School Lunch Program. This means nearly 300,000 additional households are now eligible for the program, bringing the total to 2.3 million eligible families;
• Doubled broadband speeds to up to 3 Mbps downstream and up to 768 Kbps upstream;
• Upgraded the free Internet safety software to include the Constant Guard Protection Suite, which includes top-rated Norton Security Suite, identity theft protection and more;
• Enriched digital literacy training efforts both online and in-person, including offering a series of short videos, featuring NBC and Telemundo news personalities Al Roker, Kate Snow, Jenna Wolfe and Jose Diaz-Balart, discussing how to use job search tools and social networking sites as well as tips for what parents should know about cyber bullying;
• Streamlined the approval process by providing an instant approval process for all students who attend schools with the highest percentage of National School Lunch Program (NSLP) participation, which includes Provision 2 schools;
• Introduced a bulk order program that empowers community-based organizations to purchase Internet Essentials accounts so they can connect the eligible families they serve.
Internet Essentials Program Details:
Internet Essentials addresses three primary barriers to broadband adoption that research has identified: a lack of understanding of how the Internet is relevant and useful, the cost of a home computer and the cost of the Internet service. Program participants receive:
· Residential Internet service for $9.95 a month plus applicable taxes;
· No price increases, no activation fees, or equipment rental fees;
· A voucher to purchase a low-cost computer for $149.99 plus tax; and
· Access to free digital literacy training in print, online and in-person.
A household is eligible to participate if it meets all of the following criteria:
· Is located where Comcast offers Internet service;
· Has at least one child who is eligible to receive either a free or reduced school lunch under the NSLP;
· Has not subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days;
· Does not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment.
In addition, Comcast is working with a growing network of community-based organizations, school districts, faith-based organizations, elected officials and others to spread the word about Internet Essentials and to provide digital literacy training.
For general information about Internet Essentials, please visit www.internetessentials.com for English and visit www.internetbasico.com for Spanish. Educators or third-parties interested in helping to spread the word can find more information at www.internetessentials.com/partner. Parents looking to enroll in the program can call 1-855-846-8376 or, for Spanish, 1-855-765-6995.
About Comcast Corporation:
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation’s leading providers of entertainment, information and communications products and services. Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation’s largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential and business customers. Comcast is the majority owner and manager of NBCUniversal, which owns and operates entertainment and news cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, local television station groups, television production operations, a major motion picture company and theme parks.
About MIKADO Marketing:
MIKADO Marketing (www.mikado-marketing.com) is a Boulder, CO based, full service marketing & advertising agency. Our endeavor at MIKADO Marketing is to, help companies understand & effectively target the American immigrant population, to fully optimize the potential of these growing ethnic segments, and to build & introduce brands in a new diverse America.