In recognition of National Digital Inclusion Week (October 2-6, 2023), Comcast is participating in events happening across the Beltway Region that support sign-up and awareness efforts around the Federal Government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), including the Digital Equity Resource Fair at Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore City (Monday, October 2).
We also want to take you behind the scenes of the creation of Bmore Connected, a campaign to help drive awareness and adoption of the ACP in Baltimore City – and one Comcast is proud to be part of. The Bmore Connected campaign was funded in part by Comcast and created by Wide Angle Youth Media to support Mayor Brandon M. Scott and the Baltimore City Office of Information & Technology’s (BCIT) Office of Broadband & Digital Equity (BDE)’s community outreach and awareness efforts around ACP.
ACP Catch-Up:
- In November 2021, the President signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which includes the $14.2 billion Affordable Connectivity Program.
- The Program provides eligible low-income households with a credit of up to $30 per month toward their Internet and/or mobile phone service.
- A household is eligible for ACP if the household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria found here.
- To learn more about ACP, sign up or to check your eligibility, visit: www.xfinity.com/acp.
Why ACP Matters:
- This credit can help offset the cost of Internet and get more people online, find jobs and have a better chance of success to participate in today’s growing digital economy.
- Since ACP’s launch nearly two years ago, Comcast has been committed to raising awareness about the benefit, which, when applied to Comcast’s Internet Essentials or Internet Essentials Plus tiers, makes home Internet effectively free.
- Recently, 20 million households enrolled in ACP, a remarkable achievement we were excited to celebrate. But that leaves nearly 30 million qualified households who have not taken advantage of this important benefit, including more than 500,000 in Baltimore City.
Go Deeper:
- Baltimore City residents who want to check eligibility and/or sign up for ACP can go here.
- Wide Angle Youth Media is a Baltimore City-based non-profit organization that provides free, high-quality media arts education to youth across the city – so they can ultimately become the next-generation of media makers and creators.
- Our support of this initiative is part of Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion commitment to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.
