Comcast is committed to equipping low-income Americans will the tools and resources needed to succeed in the digital world.

As the company celebrates the 10th anniversary of its Internet Essentials program, an announcement was made that it would invest $1 billion over the next 10 years to help close the digital divide.

Since 2011, the company has collaborated with its network of thousands of nonprofit partners to connect more than 10 million people in America to broadband Internet at home — the overwhelming majority did not have a connection prior to signing up.

The $1 billion commitment includes investments in numerous critical areas that include: additional support for its ongoing Lift Zone initiative which will provide WiFi-connected safe spaces in 1,000+ community cities nationwide by the end of 2021; new laptop and computer donations; grants for nonprofit community organizations to create opportunities for low-income Americans, and more.

“Ten years is a remarkable milestone, signifying an extraordinary amount of work and collaboration with our incredible community partners across the country,” said Dave Watson, Chief Executive Officer, Comcast Cable in a press release provided to AfroTech. “Together, we have been able to connect millions of people to the power of the Internet at home, and to the endless opportunity, education, growth, and discovery it provides. Today, we are rededicating ourselves to this mission to ensure that the next generation of students in America has the tools, resources, and abilities they need to succeed in an increasingly digital world.”

This new commitment follows a series of initiatives announced during the COVID-19 pandemic which doubled down on the company’s commitment to addressing the digital divide and homework gap by upping speeds to 50 Mbps downstream without changing its current program price of $9.95/month.

Internet Essentials Program

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