Comcast Expanding Low-Income Internet Program

Comcast’s new Internet access program, which is designed to offer affordable Internet to low-income families, is expanding.

The company has signed up 41,000 households in the first five months of the program.

David Cohen, executive vice president, announced Tuesday that the company was expanding the $9.95 “Internet Essentials” plan to families of children on reduced school lunches. The plan previously targeted only children who were on free school lunch plans.

He estimated that the expanded plan would increase the reach of the program by about 10 percent to nearly 3.2 million families in Comcast’s coverage area.

“It is impossible for me to overstate the huge amount of work  … to make this program operational,” Cohen said of the program's progress since the program was launched in August.

Cohen added that the company hoped to streamline the application process, expand community outreach and double the speed of the Internet service to make it more attractive. Half of the approved applicants said they were made aware of the program through the school system, he said.

“One of the things we’ve learned through research is that schools are our most important partners,” Cohen said.

The company is also looking at ways to the costs of the computers, which are $150 per unit, because the sale of about 5,500 were less than expected. That might be because many of those low-income families said they already had computers, but needed training on how to use them.

For more information about the low-income “Internet Essentials” program, go to www.internetessentials.com or call 1-855-8-INTERNET.