Comcast announces new low-cost Internet initiative


12 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

SALT LAKE CITY -- The United States is quickly becoming a digitally connected nation, but many families are being left behind.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert has teamed up with Comcast to provide affordable internet service to low-income families that don't have access to the Internet. The program is called "Internet Essentials" and is being offered to any family in Utah that qualifies.

"Families who have school-aged children and who participate in the national school program can receive Internet from Comcast for $9.95 a month," said Comcast Regional Vice President Rodrigo Lopez.

How to qualify:
  • Be located where Comcast offers Internet service
  • Have at least one child receiving free school lunches through the National School Lunch Program
  • Have not subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days
  • Not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment

Families can also purchase a home laptop computer for $149 and get literacy training. Once enrolled in the program, participants will continue to receive the discounted rate for as long as one child in the household remains on free lunches or when the Comcast account is closed by the user.

Nearly 130,000 students and families are eligible in the state of Utah for the program. Comcast will accept new applications for Internet Essentials during the 2011-2012 school year and will continue to accept new applications for the next three school years.

For more information about the program and how to apply, visit www.internetessentials.com or call 855-846-8376.

Photos

Related links

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

UtahEducation
ksl.com

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast