Comcast offers $10 Internet for low-income families

[Shawn Knight]

A new program from cable, telephone, and Internet provider Comcast will provide discounted web access, a low-cost computer, and free Internet training for qualifying low-income families in the US. The service is called Internet Essentials and is expected to help bridge the divide that poor families face regarding technology.

The program comes as a result of Comcast’s acquisition of NBC Universal earlier this year. As part of that deal, the FCC required that Comcast make broadband subscriptions available to 400,000 poor households for less than $10 per month.

Families interested in the $9.95 broadband service and $149.99 computer must meet a few criteria.

First, you must be living in one of the 39 states that Comcast currently serves. Furthermore, said family must have at least one child enrolled in a free lunch program through the National School Lunch Program. You must not have subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days and finally you can’t have any overdue Comcast bills or unreturned equipment.

The broadband service is rated at up to 1.5Mbps down and 384Kbps up.

Hardware specifications on the sub-$150 computer are bleak but Comcast claims it will be a netbook-style laptop that supports wired and wireless Internet connectivity. Each system includes a copy of Windows 7 Starter edition and can be loaded with Norton Security Suite and parental controls for free.

Internet Essentials will be available starting in the 2011-2012 school year and will run for three full school years. Those who sign up will not see a price increase during this period, nor will they have to pay activation or installation charges or equipment rentals. Potential customers can sign up today by calling 1-855-8-INTERNET.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/44997-comcast-offers-10-internet-for-low-income-families.html

 

[gwailo247]

This seems familiar.

 

[Guest]

*checks watch*
Cranky should be here soon.

 

[jetkami]

This is horrible. Handicapping the poor is not helping them. the kid decide to go into graphic arts..."sorry sweetheart our computer is not fast enough". No I am not supporting giving them gaming machines, but something that can do more then surf facebook and send emails. We want to expose the family to more technology, maybe dad will get on the computer like the experience and decide to go back to school. In fours years we have a new gainfully employed taxpayer. Invest in our poor and not the foreign ownd banks.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Yeah, hopefully everyone this time won't argue about govt handouts... as fun as that was to read.

So this is a requirement of the merger with NBC universal... bummer, and I wanted to give comcast credit for something cool.

Still, looks like a good idea.

 

[willard27]

Maybe they can get rid of their expensive cell phone plan to afford what they think are necessities.

 

[TomSEA]

Didn't we just go through this?

 

[Guest]

And sell their 60" flat screens instead of their food stamps. And build their own kitchens from the scrap left over from the last riot or..........

 

[gwailo247]

milwaukeemike said:
Yeah, hopefully everyone this time won't argue about govt handouts... as fun as that was to read.

Considering the pittance in taxes the corporations pay anyway, who knows how this particular program will be spun by Comcast's tax attorneys? We still may end up paying for this program on the back end.

Corporations never agree to anything altruistic unless there is a benefit to it. So they're either figuring that they'll get tax breaks, or that their research has indicated that most of these families will be getting cable in addition to their cheap $10 internet, so they figure as long as the family is paying $50 a month for cable, throwing them this bone is nothing.

 

[gwailo247]

Guest said:
And sell their 60" flat screens instead of their food stamps. And build their own kitchens from the scrap left over from the last riot or..........

Still here, huh?

I figured you'd be in the kitchen crushing up Sudafed for the next batch.

 

[Burty117]

Guest said:
*checks watch*
Cranky should be here soon.

Thats some funny Sh*t...

But the more worrying side of this post is you were the second person to comment at all...

 

[Guest]

If your child receives free school lunch and you drive a 2011 Cadillac Escalade, you may qualify.

 

[Mister_K]

gwailo247 said:

Guest said:
And sell their 60" flat screens instead of their food stamps. And build their own kitchens from the scrap left over from the last riot or..........

Still here, huh?

I figured you'd be in the kitchen crushing up Sudafed for the next batch.

You do realise every "Guest" is a different person and not the same one posting on all the news reports? Guest is a guest "account" which anyone can use without login in.

 

[matrix86]

jetkami said:
This is horrible. Handicapping the poor is not helping them. the kid decide to go into graphic arts..."sorry sweetheart our computer is not fast enough". No I am not supporting giving them gaming machines, but something that can do more then surf facebook and send emails. We want to expose the family to more technology, maybe dad will get on the computer like the experience and decide to go back to school. In fours years we have a new gainfully employed taxpayer. Invest in our poor and not the foreign ownd banks.

I think this is fair. Do you know how many kids don't have a computer? This is MUCH better than nothing. There is nothing wrong with a netbook style machine. Most of my artsy friends grew up with ancient machines (we lived in a farming community where dial-up was the only option), and now they all own machines that cost an arm and a leg and are doing very well for themselves. This is not handicapping them. If backwoods, South Georgia, mud bogging, animal raising, horse riding, farming kids with p.o.s. machines and dial-up internet can make a name for themselves, i'm sure these kids will manage as well At least they're getting a chance to expand their horizons.

 

[tonylukac]

I don't think this is any big deal to get worked up about. My dsl (price/speed) is comperable and I don't look like I'm getting any handouts, if that is the sin. Why not just say "by gosh, by golly they've finally got the internet down to a price that's closer to cost."

 

[gwailo247]

artix said:
You do realise every "Guest" is a different person and not the same one posting on all the news reports? Guest is a guest "account" which anyone can use without login in.

And you do realize that sometimes the same person posts more than once as a "Guest" on a given topic?

 

[Guest]

No kidding, Comcast offer $10 what's the speed maybe 1bps? and make sure is wireless with hot spot like ATT offered (homeless). I know Comcast is really good in " Customer Service" and Comcast guaranteed Customer Service but how many Comcast users(Original customer) are totally satisfy with their service and package of the price. Comcast don't take care and service old customers with special package price, in opposite they benefit new customers with excellent package price.

What's the point to have business like Comcast "Forgot old and loyalty customers" this is sad. Please don't show and remove any of logo " Customer Service Guaranteed" because this is bad example of teach our next generation of loyalty which means worthless. I think marketing people should do some survey of old customer satisfactions to make Comcast growing up.

 

[aj_the_kidd]

Guest said:
No kidding, Comcast offer $10 what's the speed maybe 1bps? and make sure is wireless with hot spot like ATT offered (homeless). I know Comcast is really good in " Customer Service" and Comcast guaranteed Customer Service but how many Comcast users(Original customer) are totally satisfy with their service and package of the price. Comcast don't take care and service old customers with special package price, in opposite they benefit new customers with excellent package price.

What's the point to have business like Comcast "Forgot old and loyalty customers" this is sad. Please don't show and remove any of logo " Customer Service Guaranteed" because this is bad example of teach our next generation of loyalty which means worthless. I think marketing people should do some survey of old customer satisfactions to make Comcast growing up.

FYI
"The broadband service is rated at up to 1.5Mbps down and 384Kbps up" as stated in the article

This "excellent package price" is part of the the NBC deal, they had to do it:
"the FCC required that Comcast make broadband subscriptions available to 400,000 poor households for less than $10 per month"

I imagine that since you're a original customer you've had the opportunity to change service, so why haven't you? Clearly you are unhappy with the service. If for some reason Comcast is your only option, either send in a complaint or suck it up. And no i don't work for Comcast

 

[Guest]

cool and australia is still over priced and still in the stone age for net

 

[Guest]

Comcast will collect the birth dates of all your boys and turn this information over to Selective Service.

 

[Guest]

You do realize we are all subsidizing this by our universal access fee(tax) on our bills.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

gwailo247 said:

Considering the pittance in taxes the corporations pay anyway, who knows how this particular program will be spun by Comcast's tax attorneys? We still may end up paying for this program on the back end.

Corporations never agree to anything altruistic unless there is a benefit to it. So they're either figuring that they'll get tax breaks, or that their research has indicated that most of these families will be getting cable in addition to their cheap $10 internet, so they figure as long as the family is paying $50 a month for cable, throwing them this bone is nothing.

Comcast isn't doing it for tax breaks or to lure in customers. They're doing it because the govt is making them.

'Pittance' is your opinion, they pay millions, that's not a pittance to me, maybe compared to profit's like Apple's it is, but it's not a small amount.

I love the irony of the clash between govt handout programs and making corporations pay more tax. Corps pay as much tax as the govt makes them pay, just like people recieving handouts will take as much as they're allowed to take. Corps and poor people follow the exact same line of thinking....1) What's the rule, 2) How closely do I have to follow it, 3) Will I get caught, 4) Do I have a reasonable arguement to defend myself if I am caught.

We all follow the same human nature.

 

[lawfer]

Guest said:
You do realize we are all subsidizing this by our universal access fee(tax) on our bills.

Wow, we even have the Tea Party up in here?

Anyway, I think this is a good program. And to those skeptical:

I love the irony of the clash between govt handout programs and making corporations pay more tax. Corps pay as much tax as the govt makes them pay, just like people recieving handouts will take as much as they're allowed to take. Corps and poor people follow the exact same line of thinking....1) What's the rule, 2) How closely do I have to follow it, 3) Will I get caught, 4) Do I have a reasonable arguement to defend myself if I am caught.

Pretty much this.

 

[captaincranky]

*checks watch*
Cranky should be here soon.

Don't be sad, fret, or pout, little man, it's going to be all right, Cranky's here for you! I'm always here for you.

With that out of the way, I only have 1 Meg DSL from Verizon. I pay about $18.00 a month. Arguably I should be just a bit poorer, then I'd have faster and cheaper service.

But, when the dust settles, the people who qualify for Comcast's "largesse", will have faster service than me.

Comcast spends vast piles of money on advertising. One year I saved all the print ads, and had a pile of recycling almost an inch thick! Then there's the nightly "Xfinity" TV onslaught. Because ads are an expense, Comcast can likely write off the entire expense of changing the name of virtually the same product, to "Xfinity"! Loopholes, loopholes.

Because simple repetition is one of the oldest, most prevalent, and effective forms of propaganda, I suspect that Comcast will capitalize on this forced offering of generosity, with an endless ad campaign that makes them look like the "Robin Hood" of cable companies. But trust me, they'll still be robbing the rich.

 

[Archean]

Originally Posted by Guest
*checks watch*
Cranky should be here soon.

I think they fear your TM skills captain