Federal
Pell
Grant
Expansion
Will
Help
Those
Pursuing
Careers
Requiring
Post-Secondary
Degrees
or
Technical
Certifications.
Announcement
Is Part
of
Project
UP,
Comcast’s
$1
Billion
Commitment
to Reach
50
Million
People
with the
Tools,
Resources,
and
Skills
Needed
to
Succeed
in a
Digital
World. |
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Comcast
commits
$1
Billion
to reach
50
million
people
with
resources,
and
skills
needed
to
succeed
in
digital
world
PHILADELPHIA,
PA -
Comcast
today
announced
new
steps to
help
advance
digital
equity
for even
more
students
and
families.
Internet
Essentials
– the
nation’s
largest,
most
successful,
and most
comprehensive
broadband
adoption
program
for
low-income
households
– will
now
expand
eligibility
to
Federal
Pell
Grant
recipients.
In
addition,
Comcast
pledged
to
donate
$15
million
worth of
Internet
service
and
equipment,
including
more
than
25,000
laptops,
to
low-income
students,
seniors,
veterans,
and
adults.
The
announcement
is part
of
Project
UP,
Comcast’s
comprehensive
initiative
to
advance
digital
equity
and help
build a
future
of
unlimited
possibilities;
and
comes
while
Comcast
marks
the 10th
anniversary
of its
Internet
Essentials
program,
which
has
connected
a
cumulative
total of
more
than 10
million
people
to the
Internet
at home
– most
for the
very
first
time.
These
additional
initiatives
arrive
as the
COVID-19
crisis
has
demonstrated
far-reaching
effects
that
disproportionately
impact
those
who have
traditionally
lacked
access
to the
tools,
resources,
and
skills
needed
to get
online.
Compounding
this
reality
is
research
showing
low-income
students
and
their
families
face
numerous
broadband
adoption
challenges,
like
housing
insecurity,
literacy
challenges,
language
barriers,
and
broadband
relevancy
issues.
As a
result,
Comcast’s
digital
equity
efforts
have
been
designed
to
address
as many
of these
challenges
as
possible,
including
offering
low-cost
broadband
Internet
at home;
the
option
to
purchase
a
heavily
subsidized,
affordable
computer;
access
to free
WiFi in
community
centers
nationwide;
and
numerous
options
to
acquire
the
digital
skills
necessary
to
navigate
distance
learning
and use
the
Internet.
“Digital
equity
is key
to
success
in
education
and
economic
mobility,
now and
into the
future”
said
Broderick
Johnson,
Executive
Vice
President,
Public
Policy
and
Executive
Vice
President,
Digital
Equity.
“As our
economic,
medical,
and
educational
systems
become
increasingly
digital,
it’s
more
important
than
ever
that
every
American
gets
online.
For
those
young
people
pursuing
higher
education,
the
expansion
of IE
eligibility
to Pell
Grant
recipients
is a
real
boost.
Through
the
announcements
we are
making
today,
we will
help
support
the
development
of a
workforce
that has
the
digital
skills
necessary
to adapt
to rapid
shifts
in a
fast-evolving
economy.”
Federal
Pell
Grant
Expansion:
Comcast’s
expanded
eligibility
for
Internet
Essentials,
to now
include
all
Federal
Pell
Grant
recipients
within
its
service
area,
will
enable
even
more
students
to stay
connected
as they
continue
to
pursue
degrees
at
colleges,
universities,
and
technical
schools.
The
Federal
Pell
Grant
program,
established
in 1965,
is the
largest
source
of
federal
grant
aid for
students
pursuing
a
postsecondary
education.
“One
thing
this
pandemic
has
taught
us is
the
necessity
of
digital
access
for all
students,”
said
Maureen
Hoyler,
President,
Council
for
Opportunity
in
Education.
“By
expanding
eligibility
to
include
Pell
Grant
recipients,
Internet
Essentials
has
taken an
important
step
towards
helping
low-income
college
students
realize
their
postsecondary
goals.”
$15
Million
in
Connectivity
and
Laptop
Donations:
Comcast
also
committed
$15
million
to
ensure
low-income
students
and
households
have the
critical
tools
and
skills
necessary
to not
only
help
close
the
“homework
gap,”
but also
put them
on a
path
toward
future
professional
success.
The
amount
includes
an
estimated
25,000
free
laptops
that
will be
donated
to
low-income
students,
seniors,
veterans,
and
adults
in
cities
nationwide,
such as
Houston,
TX;
Sacramento,
CA;
Seattle,
WA;
Philadelphia,
PA;
Hartford,
CT;
Baltimore,
MD;
Memphis,
TN;
Atlanta,
GA;
Detroit,
MI;
Chicago,
IL;
Jacksonville,
FL;
Minneapolis,
MN;
Oakland,
CA;
Boston,
MA;
Pittsburgh,
PA; and
Grand
Rapids,
MI.
Project
UP –
Building
a Future
of
Unlimited
Possibilities:
For over
a
decade,
connecting
more
people
to the
Internet
and the
technology
they
need to
participate
and
excel in
an
increasingly
digital
world
has been
a core
focus
for the
company.
Looking
toward
the next
ten
years,
Comcast
is
building
on that
foundation
and
expanding
its
impact
through
Project
UP, a
comprehensive
initiative
to
advance
digital
equity
and help
build a
future
of
unlimited
possibilities.
Backed
by a $1
billion
commitment
to reach
50
million
people,
Project
UP
encompasses
the
programs
and
community
partnerships
across
Comcast,
NBCUniversal,
and Sky
that
connect
people
to the
Internet,
advance
economic
mobility,
and open
doors
for the
next
generation
of
innovators,
entrepreneurs,
storytellers,
and
creators.
For more
information
on
Project
UP and
the
latest
news on
efforts
to
address
digital
inequities,
including
the
recent
expansion
of the
Comcast
RISE
Investment
Fund to
provide
millions
in
grants
to small
business
owners
of color
and
investment
in
research
to
increase
diversity
in the
technology
and
digital
fields,
visit
https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.
About
Internet
Essentials
Internet
Essentials
is
Comcast’s
signature
digital
equity
initiative
and the
nation’s
largest
and most
comprehensive
broadband
adoption
program.
In 10
years,
it has
helped
connect
10
million
low-income
Americans
to
broadband
Internet
at home,
most for
the very
first
time. It
has a
comprehensive
design
that
addresses
each of
the
three
major
barriers
to
broadband
adoption.
This
includes
multiple
options
to
access
free
digital
literacy
training
in
print,
online,
and in
person;
the
option
to
purchase
a
heavily
subsidized,
low-cost
Internet-ready
computer;
and
low-cost,
high-speed
Internet
service
for
$9.95 a
month,
plus
tax. 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
about
Internet
Essentials
and
Comcast’s
commitment
to
education
and
digital
equity,
please
visit
https://corporate.comcast.com/education.
To
apply,
visit
www.internetessentials.com
or call
1-855-846-8376
for
English
or
1-855-765-6995
for
Spanish.
Advertise With Us:
Certified Minority Business Enterprise
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