Comcast expands low-income, disabled program

BUSINESS WIRE - Global media and technology company Comcast Corp. has expanded eligibility for its Internet Essentials broadband access initiative for low-income households throughout Washington state, including the Spokane area.

The program will now be available to double the number of eligible low-income households, including those with seniors and people with disabilities.

Since 2011, more than 8 million low-income Americans have been connected to the internet at home through the Internet Essentials program, 90% of whom were not connected to the internet at home until they signed up through the program. This includes nearly 340,000 residents across the state of Washington. Nearly 35,000 low-income individuals also have been connected in Spokane County.

"This expansion is the culmination of an audacious goal we set eight years ago, which was to meaningfully and significantly close the digital divide for low-income Americans," says David L. Cohen, Comcast's senior executive vice president and chief diversity officer. "It is unacceptable that we live in a country where millions of families and individuals are missing out on this life-changing resource."

Whether the internet is used for students to do their homework, adults to look for and apply for new jobs, seniors to keep in touch with friends and family, or veterans to access their well-deserved benefits or medical assistance, it's essential to be connected in the digital age, he asserts.

As part of the rollout of the expansion in the Spokane area, Comcast unveiled a new interactive digital classroom earlier this month at Goodwill Industries, at 130 E. Third, in Spokane.

The computer lab will augment digital literacy training for low-income people with disabilities, helping to lower the major barrier to broadband adoption - a lack of digital skills.

Most of Goodwill's program participants are low-income with some level of disability, and many served in the military. The new digital classroom is furnished with assistive technology to help with disabled individuals' needs. For example, it features adjustable tables and interactive learning and digital tools.

Comcast also presented a grant to the organization and surprised Goodwill program participants with 50 laptops and six months of complimentaiy Internet Essentials service.

Clark Brekke, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of the Inland Northwest, says, "As technology continues to advance and become a daily part of so many industries, more people need the skills to thrive in this employment environment. It is through partners like Comcast that our communities will be able to bridge the digital gap."

Comcast recognized Spokane Mayor David Condon for the city's multi-year commitment as an Internet Essentials champion, and the company announced a donation of 50 laptop computers and complimentary Internet Essentials service for Family Promise, one of the local nonprofits Condon has advocated.

Condon says, "Programs like Internet Essentials can have a tremendous impact on our community and are critical for helping connect our most vulnerable citizens to the internet and other technology resources, allowing them to succeed in school, their careers, and in life."

Internet Essentials is designed to lower each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption that research has identified: a lack of digital literacy skills and awareness of the relevance of the internet to everyday life needs; the lack of a computer; and cost of internet service. Nationwide, the program is structured as a partnership between Comcast and tens ofthousands of school districts, libraries, elected officials, and nonprofit community partners.