Comcast has announced the most sweeping eligibility changes ever to the company’s Internet Essentials program, the largest, most comprehensive, and most successful broadband adoption program in America. Internet Essentials will now be available to all qualified low-income households in Comcast’s service area. To be eligible, low-income applicants simply need to show they are participating in one or more of a dozen different federal assistance programs, including Medicaid, SNAP, and SSI (a full list can be found at www.internetessentials.com).
This expansion is the culmination of a bold goal set eight years ago to significantly close the digital divide for low-income Americans. With this expansion, the door is now open to the transformative power of the Internet to millions of additional households – including people with disabilities, parents with children either too young for school, or whose children are in college, and adults without children who need a connection to learn digital skills, search and apply for new jobs, or research medical benefits.
Since 2011, Internet Essentials has connected more than eight million low-income Americans – from two million households – to the Internet at home, most for the first time in their lives. In the Twin Cities area, more than 172,000 individuals have experienced the benefit of Internet Essentials in their home.
For a complete overview of Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, visit here. To learn more about program features, educational tools and eligibility requirements, go to www.internetessentials.com.
