The team at Comcast remains committed to keeping everyone connected during the pandemic, having announced an extension for the third time of connection and WiFi offers now running through the end of next June.
Comcast has announced that they are extending the commitments to help people connect to the Internet during the pandemic as millions continue to stay home while many workplaces and schools operate virtually. Comcast will continue to provide free Internet service for the first 60 days for new Internet Essentials customers, and free access to more than 1.5 million public Xfinity WiFi hotspots, the largest network of its kind in the country, through June 30, 2021. This marks the third time Comcast has extended th0se commitments.
The commitments are part of Comcast’s comprehensive efforts to help families and individual stay connected, and to help empower small businesses, during the COVID-19 pandemic and include:
- Free 60 Days of Internet Essentials– Internet Essentials is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband adoption program that provides high-speed Internet service to low-income families and has connected more than four million low-income students since its inception. New customers who sign up before June 30, 2021, will receive 60 days of complimentary service. Comcast will also continue to waive the requirement that customers not have back debt due so more families can apply. For more information, visit http://www.internetessentials.com.
- Xfinity WiFi Free for Everyone – More than 1.5 million Xfinity WiFi hotspots in business and outdoor locations – the largest public WiFi network in the country and three times larger than any other provider’s – are available to anyone who needs them for free, including non-Xfinity Internet subscribers. Since taking the unprecedented step of making all of those hotspots available for free, hundreds of thousands of non-Xfinity customers have taken advantage and usage by consumers has skyrocketed. For a map of Xfinity WiFi hotspots, visit http://www.xfinity.com/wifi.
- Network Investment – Comcast has invested more than $12 billion to expand and evolve its network since 2017. Since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis in the United States, network teams have worked around the clock to triple network augmentations, install new hardware, and upgrade network software – to expand capacity and ensure that it could meet the rapidly growing needs of its customers. The company performs nearly 700,000 diagnostic speed tests daily which show that, on average, it is meeting, and most times exceeding advertised speeds across all of its service areas.
- Comcast RISE – In October, Comcast launched Comcast RISE, a multi-year initiative created to help strengthen and empower small businesses, starting with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color owned businesses; those hardest hit by COVID-19. The Comcast RISE program will help thousands of small businesses over the next three years through grants, marketing and technology upgrades, including media campaigns and connectivity, computer and voice equipment, as well as free marketing insights to all applicants. For more information, visit http://www.comcastrise.com.
- Providing Free Educational Resources – In partnership with Common Sense Media, Comcast has curated thousands of hours of free educational programming into an education destination for Xfinity video customers to support remote learning for kids K-12.
