Comcast Expands Low-Income Broadband to All HUD-Assisted Housing
Residents of public housing and those receiving Department of Housing and Urban Development assistance who live in Comcast's service territory are now eligible to take part in its Internet Essentials low-income broadband program, the cable company and HUD said in…
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a news release Friday. According to the two, the Internet Essentials expansion -- including a Comcast pilot effort in public housing earlier this year -- encompasses an estimated 2 million residences and covers close to 40 percent of all HUD-assisted housing in the nation. Between its launch in 2011 and December 2015, Internet Essentials has signed up more than 600,000 low-income families, the two said. The Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council applauded the expansion. In a statement, President Kim Keenan said, “As we aim to close the digital divide, this is the kind of bold action that it will take to connect every American home without regard to socio-economic status.” The National Digital Inclusion Alliance similarly lauded the move and urged other ISPs to follow suit. NDIA said "the real test will be in how this program is implemented, how the barriers are handled and whether subscribers have access to local digital literacy training and technology support they need to take advantage of the offer." Numerous housing authorities offer digital literacy training and technology support for public housing residents, but Housing Choice voucher users live in privately owned housing, NDIA said: "How will they get the outreach, training and support that everyone including Comcast acknowledges to be critical for the program's effectiveness?"