Company’s COVID-19 Commitment to Help Households in Need Access the Internet
Now Available Through the End of 2020
PHILADELPHIA – June 18, 2020 – As the current school year comes to an end, school districts across the country are already announcing plans for when school returns in the fall. To help provide additional support to students and families, Comcast today announced it will continue to provide 60 days of free Internet service to new, eligible Internet Essentials customers. Originally set to expire on June 30, the free offer will now be available through the end of this year. In addition, Comcast will continue to waive, through the end of the year, the requirement that customers not have a past due balance with Comcast to qualify for the free offer.
“For almost a decade, Comcast has been helping to level the playing field for families in need so they can benefit from all the Internet has to offer. So, we’re happy to be able to extend this 60 days of free Internet service to new customers,” said Dana Strong, President of Xfinity Consumer Services. “Now more than ever, connectivity has become a vital tool for families to access educational resources for students, important news and information about their community and the world, telehealth applications, or to stay in touch with family and friends.”
Since 2011, Internet Essentials has connected more than two million low-income families to the Internet, serving approximately eight million people. During that period, the program has grown from focusing on bridging the “homework gap” for school-age children to being deeply invested in providing digital equity. The program, which offers low-cost, high-speed Internet service for $9.95 a month plus tax, also provides multiple options to access free digital skills training in print, online, and in person. In addition, customers have the option to purchase a low-cost Internet-ready computer.
Internet Essentials is structured in partnership between Comcast and tens of thousands of school districts, libraries, elected officials, and nonprofit community partners. For individuals and organizations interested in becoming a partner, please visit: https://partner.internetessentials.com to order free collateral materials that will also be shipped free of charge.
Applicants can go to: www.internetessentials.com using any web-connected device, including mobile phones. The accessible website also includes the option to video chat with customer service agents in American Sign Language. In addition, there are two dedicated phone numbers 1-855-846-8376 for English and 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.
Comcast Extends Free Public WiFi Access to Everyone For the Remainder of 2020
Recently, Comcast announced that it has extended an offer for 60 days of free home Internet access for new eligible Internet Essentials customers, to help provide additional support to students and families in need through the end of the year. Comcast will also continue to waive the requirement that those customers not have a past due balance with Comcast to qualify for the free offer.
“We saw a huge jump in usage after we opened up our public hotspots, and we’re excited to keep them open through the end of the year as the nation begins taking steps to reopen,” said Dana Strong, President of Xfinity Consumer Services. “We’re pleased to see so many families and individuals take advantage of our 60 days of free home Internet through Internet Essentials, and the free access to public Xfinity WiFi hotspots to get online during this time when connectivity is so important.”
Since taking the unprecedented step of making all of these hotspots available for free, hundreds of thousands of non-Xfinity customers have taken advantage, and overall usage by consumers of the free public WiFi hotspots has skyrocketed. Comcast’s public WiFi network is the largest of its kind in the nation, and three times larger than that of any other provider. It’s available in outdoor and business locations, all of which can be found online at www.xfinity.com/wifi.
Comcast has a history of making its public hotspots available for free in individual markets to help communities stay connected after local emergencies like hurricanes in the South, wildfires in California, and the recent tornadoes in Nashville.
For more information about Comcast’s COVID-19 response, visit: https://corporate.comcast.com/covid-19. To learn how to find Xfinity Hotspots, click here.
ABOUT COMCAST CORPORATION
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ largest high-speed internet, video, and phone providers to residential customers under the Xfinity brand, and also provides these services to businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation services to residential customers under the Xfinity brand. NBCUniversal is global and operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures, and Universal Parks and Resorts. Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
