Comcast celebrated the launch of its Washington, D.C. Internet Essentials Senior Pilot on Valentine’s Day at the Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center and was joined by Council member Brandon Todd, Ward 4; the D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment; Mary’s Center, a Community Health Center that provides health care, family literacy and social services to Washington, D.C. individuals; and more than 100 local senior citizens.
The Internet Essentials Senior Pilot is designed to help low-income senior citizens in Washington, D.C. cross the digital divide and access broadband Internet at home for $9.95 a month + tax, no credit check, no installation fee, no term contract, 15Mbps, in-home WiFi included and the option of purchasing a laptop computer for $149.99 + tax. According to the Pew Research Center, just 51 percent, or less than half, of seniors (aged 65 and older) have broadband Internet at home. And, only 27 percent of seniors with household incomes below $30,000 have home broadband, compared to 87 percent of seniors with household incomes at or above $75,000. More information on how to apply and to see if you or someone you know qualifies for the program can be found here.
The Washington, D.C. Senior Pilot is an expansion of Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive high-speed Internet adoption program. Since 2011, Internet Essentials has connected more than 1.5 million families, or about 6 million low-income Americans, to the power of the Internet at home.
