Blythe, California (NAPSI) - As schools increasingly turn to the Internet and new technologies, more and more, students are asked to perform online research, grades and assignments are posted on websites, and communication between teachers and parents and students is done through e-mail. Because of this, it’s increasingly important for families to have access to the Internet at home.
Unfortunately, about 30 percent of Americans, particularly those from low-income communities, are still not connected to the Internet at home. Research shows the main reasons include a lack of understanding of how the Internet is relevant and useful to daily life, the cost of a home computer and the cost of Internet service.
To combat these barriers, there’s Internet Essentials from Comcast, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program. It’s connected more than 350,000 families since 2011, or about 1.4 million low-income Americans, to the power of the Internet.
The program offers families with at least one child eligible for the National School Lunch Program in-home Internet for $9.95 a month, the opportunity to buy a computer for less than $150 and access to free digital literacy training.
To help even more families get online, Comcast now offers up to six months of complimentary Internet service for all eligible families that sign up for Internet Essentials through September 20, 2014.
Also new this year to engage more families, there’s an amnesty program. As long as the customer meets all other eligibility criteria, Comcast will offer amnesty for an outstanding bill that’s more than a year old, so the family can now be eligible to connect to Internet Essentials.
Based on customer surveys, 98 percent of families said they signed up for Internet Essentials because their kids need it for school and 83 percent said their child’s school expected that students have online access at home.
Additionally, home Internet gives kids and their parents access to useful online educational activities such as Khan Academy, a nonprofit that provides a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere through www.khanacademy.org.
Learn More
For further information, visit www.InternetEssentials.com or, for Spanish, www.InternetBasico.com.
Educators and third parties can visit www.InternetEssentials.com/Partner. Parents looking to enroll children can call (855) 846-8376 or, for Spanish, (855) 765-6995.
