Comcast announced today a new program for cities, schools and non-profits that aims to get low-income K-12 students connected to the internet at home. The company also noted that the program, to be known as the Internet Essentials Partnership Program, already has involved partnerships with more than 70 schools nationwide.
Recent partnerships included schools in Chicago, Atlanta, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Portland, and Arlington, VA, which have helped more than 200,000 students get connected.
The Internet Essentials Partnership Program builds on Comcast’s long-running Internet Essentials program, which offers broadband for $9.95 per month, the option of buying a subsidized computer and options for digital training. Customers connected through the Internet Essentials Partnership Program get two months of free Internet service for new Internet Essentials services.
Comcast also said today it is giving all Internet Essential customers the xFi platform that enables parents to control and manage their kids’ Internet access. It can see what devices are connected, set safe browsing modes, generate notifications and program pauses in connectivity.
“We’ve seen firsthand that low-cost Internet access is an important part of improving digital equity and creating positive opportunities for low-income students and families,” Xfinity Consumer Services President Dana Strong said in a press release. “Through this new partnership program, we are accelerating the efforts of cities, schools, philanthropies, nonprofits, and private citizens to collaborate and open the doors of Internet access for more families in need.”
In June, Comcast said that it would continue to offer 60 days of free Internet service to new Internet Essentials customers — an offer that had been scheduled to expire at the end of June.
Joan Engebretson contributed to this report.
