Posted on 08/08/2011 3:21:34 AM PDT by rawhide
Comcast Corporation is partnering with several metro Atlanta school districts to educate families about a new program to offer discounted Internet access to low-income students.
Today at a morning press conference, Comcast executives along with Mayor Kasim Reed, Gov. Nathan Deal and other area leaders will announce the program, which will be offered to families of students who qualify for free or reduced-priced school lunch.
Families who qualify will receive broadband Internet for $9.95 a month with no activation fee, no modem rental and a voucher to purchase a computer for $149.99. The Atlanta launch is part of the company's larger campaign to shrink the nation's "digital divide" by addressing the barriers to Internet access, according to David Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast Corporation.
"We see the debilitating negativity that is created through the digital divide," Cohen said of the decision to offer the program.
The main reasons people don't have Internet are a mistrust or lack of understanding about how it works, the cost of a home computer and the cost of service, he said. The program could reach 374,000 students in 28 metro Atlanta school districts. The company does not expect the additional subscribers will clog the network for other users.
In Atlanta Public Schools, 78 percent of students qualify for discounted lunch. Statewide, that number is about 56 percent, according to the Georgia Department of Education. Comcast estimates 45 percent of Atlanta residents aren’t connected to broadband.
Atlanta Public Schools Chief Technology Officer Dave Williamson, said the district will be encouraging parents to take advantage of the offer.
"We believe it will be used in large part to support our educational mission by providing students with the means to stay engaged in the learning process beyond the regular class day,” he said.
See tagline........the Reparations continue.
So....my neighbors should pay for my new BMW 750I, because I don't have one? I don't have Kobi steaks in the freezer, either, so how about you paying for those, too? Might as well get me a Lear Jet, because I don't have one of those, either.....
So how much is this little welfare gem going to cost Comcast’s paying customers?
How about the deadbeats get a job and pay for their own internet and toys...
"We believe it will be used in large part to support our educational mission by providing students with the means to stay engaged in the learning process beyond the regular class day,” he said.
But not to diminish the crucial significance of internet porn on development of our youth.
"We believe it will be used in large part to support our educational mission by providing students with the means to stay engaged in the learning process beyond the regular class day,” he said.
But not to diminish the crucial significance of internet porn on development of our youth.
Details here:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/comcast-rolls-out-10-web-access-for-low-income-households/54320
This offer is good nationwide, (39 states) wherever Concast has service.
http://mashable.com/2011/08/08/comcast-low-income-internet/
Wait... You mean Comcast will charge paying customers more, to subsidize the freeloaders? That way they'll keep the stockholders “whole,” and gaining positive publicity??? The next thing you'll tell me is that Comcast has a monopoly, and the paying customers have no alternative, but get screwed! (except to cancel cable)
Guess I’ve been standing in the wrong line.
My nephews, 11 and 8 years old, could probably train people how to use the computer. Give them a few ones (they are saving up for a car) and some Gatorade. Especially the orange one.
I think they have great careers in IT in their future. Every time I ask a question, they ask me to make sure the computer is plugged in.
Thesis -- "Everyone deserves to have a voice in the event of an emergency."
Offering -- Free cellphone with 250 minutes and texting, and no background checks, supported by the U.S. government.
Reality -- Free? Only to the user. Look at the cell bill. See "Universal Connectivity Fee"? People who pay their bills pay the "Al Gore" tax -- which never went through congress and was never voted on; it was simply a fee charged to communications subscribers, so the "digital divide" could be bridged, and the underprivileged could be bought with another benefit (which would, of course, grow into an 'entitlement').
This program probably falls into the same category. A communications provider uses the "universal connectivity" money to provide services which it hopes will result in additional fees being charged to the recipient. The basic internet/computer dollop isn't enough for the user's entertainment desires, so they expand the service, and have to pay Comcast extra fees, which become gravy in Comcast's pocket, since the taxpayer is already footing the basic bill.
It would be interesting (mildly) to go back after one year of 'bridging the digital divide' and see how much education use the service actually got; how much computer/internet 'failures' were used as a reason for not doing assigned work, opposed to how many times students who received them actually used them to complete assigned work.
Meahwhile we pay $50 a month for internet through Comcast. And the worst customer service on the planet.
Comcast has been raising rates on everything lately.
Now we know why.
RUN, don’t walk, when you see the word “mission” used like this.
That is for sure. They installed a line to our house, cut through the irrigation line and tried to come back and fix it with duct tape. That resulted in a big fat leak and the water company sent us a $450 bill which we passed right on to Comcast. We also used Comcast in Florida; Went to make a complaint and they had a very long line outside their door.
Comcast is the biggest piece of crap ever.
Service outages every day.
Yes, APS are dealing with the fallout from a huge testing scandal.
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