Comcast's $10 Internet for Low-Income Families Available Nationwide
Comcast's $10 Internet for Low-Income Families Available Nationwide
Posted 09/20/2011 at 2:45pm
| by Ryan Whitwam
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Comcast has officially expanded its low-cost Internet Essentials program nationwide today. This service offers $10 per month internet access to low-income families, as well as access to $150 computers. The speeds aren’t what users of the regular cable internet service will see, at just 1.5Mbps, but Comcast has agreed to keep Internet Essentials alive for at least three years.
To qualify for the program, families must have at least one child that would qualify for reduced-cost lunch in public schools. In addition the the deal on service and PCs, families would also not be charged for equipment rental or installation. FCC chairman Julius Genachowski was at the DC launch today to praise Comcast for bridging the “digital divide.”
Although, Comcast should not be given too much credit for the move. This program is part of the deal the cable operator struck in order to purchase NBC-Universal earlier this year. Still, Internet Essentials is a good thing.
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Jorsh
September 21, 2011 at 11:24am
Cheaper internet is great, but why put the low income sticker on it? Make an afforable lower tier plan for everyone. Entitlement products help no one.
Asterixx
September 20, 2011 at 4:37pm
Considering I'm paying $60/month for 1.5Mbps... Gotta love living in the boonies...
jgrimoldy
September 20, 2011 at 4:10pm
What about LINKs (low income, no kids)? They don't qualify? Well, this is a start at least...
blkpanthr
September 20, 2011 at 7:07pm
no, its families only.
Kids are a requirement to be a family.
Its supposed to be linked to educational purposes.
Eagle70ss
September 21, 2011 at 2:30am
Actually plenty of married couples consider themselves a family of 2. The American nuclear family in the traditional sense is just about on its last legs. Most modern family situations in the US look much different than the Mom, Dad, and kids model of the old days. The modern American family is full of all kinds of situations for which the traditional "family" definition falls short of describing. Hell many people consider pets as part of their family, even w/o kids involved. "Family" is what you believe it is, not a cookie-cutter definition.
However, in this case comcast probably is right for using the traditional family as the litmus test.
blkpanthr
September 21, 2011 at 8:01am
How you view yourself or others is irrelvent.
a maried couple is not a family. Its a COUPLE.
a family MUST have a child, or they are not a family. they are a COUPLE.
This is the definition as used by business, and the government.
sarkli
September 20, 2011 at 3:54pm
This is great news for people who cant afford the faster speeds. And to think AT&T can get away with chargeing $20/mon for their p.o.s 700k connection is amazing.
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