Low-income families get access to cheaper Internet

By Jaime Sarrio

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

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 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.