Comcast offers more help for low-income broadband customers
As part of Comcast's ongoing commitment to digital equity including bridging the digital divide and closing the homework gap, we are proud to participate in the federal government’s Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), a temporary program rolling out nationwide this week to assist consumers who have experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19, using the qualifications set by Congress and the FCC.
This program is a welcome step in our nation’s response to COVID-19. At Comcast, we have had a longstanding commitment to helping people connect and stay connected to the Internet, and this temporary federal subsidy program will further that goal. We recently joined dozens of civil rights organizations, civil society groups, business associations and companies calling on Congress and the Administration to adopt a long-term federally funded broadband benefit program that would offer financial support for broadband access to low-income individuals after the pandemic ends.
As part of our overarching digital equity goals, we accelerated our work over the past year as the effects of the pandemic were felt far and wide, moving quickly to provide more programs and initiatives to help customers in need. These efforts include offers of free Internet Essentials service for new customers, free public WiFi hotspots, and flexible payment plans.
The EBB is available to those who qualify for the federal program across our tiers of Internet service, including our low-income focused Internet Essentials, and offers up to $50 per month off the cost of Internet service, and $75 per month in Tribal areas. More details about how customers can sign up are available at www.xfinity.com/EBB.
Comcast recently marked the 10th anniversary of our Internet Essentials program, which has connected a cumulative total of 10 million people to the Internet at home, while maintaining the low $9.95 per month price since 2011. We also committed to spend $1 billion over the next 10 years to help further close the digital divide. To complement Internet Essentials, we are building over 1,000 Lift Zones with free Wi-Fi across our markets in community centers and other accessible locations creating safe spaces to get online.
We’re proud that when designing the Emergency Broadband Benefit, the FCC specifically cited Internet Essentials as an example of a broadband adoption program that EBB would be suited for.
Comcast’s commitment to connectivity and to closing the digital divide and offering affordable broadband options has never been stronger or more important. We encourage federal, state, and local governments to continue working with private sector partners on initiatives like the Emergency Broadband Benefit program to break down barriers to adoption so more people can get online. We look forward to collaborating with public, private and non-profit partners to further achieve our collective digital equity goals.
