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Washington Post

Comcast Doubles Internet Speed, Expands Access for Low-Income Consumers

Aug 4, 2015  •  Post A Comment

Comcast is upgrading its low-income Internet service. The Washington Post reports that the company will double download speeds and implement changes aimed at helping senior citizens. The upgrades are launching first in a pilot project in Florida.

“The $10-a-month program, Internet Essentials, will be getting a free speed bump from 5 megabits per second to 10 Mbps, which is fast enough to support multiple video streams simultaneously,” The Post reports. “That’s good news for poorer Americans who increasingly rely on the Web to do homework, find jobs and use government services.”

Eligibility for the Internet Essentials program is being expanded, making it easier for families to qualify. The program has historically been targeted at low-income families with children.

The West Palm Beach pilot project “will give older Americans — who, according to the Pew Research Center, remain disproportionately unconnected from the Web — access to Internet Essentials, too,” The Post notes.

An estimated 500,000 households have signed up for Internet Essentials, the report notes.

comcast internet essentials

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