Comcast Gets Washington, D.C., Students and Fort Dupont Ice Arena ‘Ready for Anything’ with Internet Essentials Program Expansion
Company and Special Guests Celebrate Expansion with Students, Senior Citizens and People with Disabilities Throughout the District
Comcast hosted a special event at Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, September 10, to celebrate the expansion of Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most comprehensive high-speed Internet adoption program, to all qualified low-income Americans in its service area.
Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando, U.S. Olympic Gold Medalists on the Women’s Ice Hockey Team; Rico Roman, U.S. Paralympic Gold Medalist on the Men’s Sled Hockey Team and Purple Heart recipient; Slapshot, the official mascot of the Washington Capitals; and members of the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Team joined students from Cornerstone Schools of Washington, D.C. on the ice for skills training activities. Comcast’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, David L. Cohen, also shared information on the expansion of Comcast’s Internet Essentials program and how it will help close the digital divide and provide students with the tools they need to be successful in school — so they’re ‘Ready for Anything.’
Following the presentation, Comcast and Dell Technologies awarded a grant to Fort Dupont Ice Arena to update and expand its computer lab. Students in attendance also received free laptops and six months of complimentary Internet Essentials service.
Comcast hosted three additional events in Washington, D.C., that day. The morning kicked off with an event at the Newseum where Comcast, in partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities, announced a series of initiatives designed to help address the digital divide for low-income Americans with disabilities through the Internet Essentials program. The company also held a digital literacy assembly at the Walker-Jones Education Campus, where Cohen discussed the program and surprised 50 sixth graders with free laptops and six months of complimentary Internet Essentials service. Later, Comcast hosted a digital inclusion event at the Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center where 100 seniors were given free laptops to help them stay connected to family and friends in the 21st century way of life.
To apply for Internet Essentials, applicants simply need to show they are participating in one of more than a dozen different government assistance programs. A full list can be found at www.internetessentials.com.
Internet Essentials has an integrated, wrap-around design that addresses each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption that research has identified. These include: a lack of digital literacy skills, lack of awareness of the relevance of the Internet to everyday life needs, and fear of the Internet; the lack of a computer; and cost of internet service. The program is structured as a partnership between Comcast and tens of thousands of school districts, libraries, elected officials, and nonprofit community partners. For more information, or to apply for the program in seven different languages, please visit www.internetessentials.com or call 1-855-846-8376. Spanish-only speakers can also call 1-855-765-6995.
