Comcast To Invest $1 Bln To Connect More Low-income Americans To Broadband

(RTTNews) - Comcast said it will to invest $1 billion over the next 10 years to connect more low-income Americans to broadband internet.

The company noted that its $1 billion commitment will include investments in a number of critical areas, including: additional support for its ongoing Lift Zone initiative, which establishes WiFi-connected safe spaces in 1,000+ community centers nationwide for students and adults by the end of 2021; new laptop and computer donations; grants for nonprofit community organizations to create opportunities for low-income Americans, particularly in media, technology, and entrepreneurship; and continued investment in the company's landmark Internet Essentials program.

The company said it connected more than 10 million people in America to broadband Internet at home, over the past decade.

It is estimated that the new commitments will connect up to 50 million Americans to broadband over the next 10 years.

In 2021 alone, Comcast estimates students will be able to complete more than 25 million hours of remote learning lessons to further address the "homework gap" at the hundreds of Lift Zone locations that have already opened or will open soon.

The new commitment comes on the heels of a series of initiatives announced during the COVID-19 pandemic that reinforced the company's commitment to addressing the digital divide and the homework gap by upping speeds to 50 Mbps downstream without changing the program's $9.95/month price.

The company also continues to offer 60 days of free Internet service to new Internet Essentials customers who sign up before June 30, 2021.