Comcast Corporation announced that its Internet Essentials program, a high-speed Internet adoption program, has connected more than 4 million Americans, in 1 million households, to high-speed Internet service at home.
In Washington State, the residents of 46,000 households – about 185,000 people – have connected to the internet through Internet Essentials.
The company also announced these program enhancements:
- Comcast will increase the program’s Internet service speeds to up to 15/2 Mbps. More speed was the number one requested enhancement from Internet Essentials customers, and this latest increase will improve streaming quality in the home (15 Mbps is three times the speed necessary to view a high-definition video), especially when multiple devices are connected to the Internet at the same time.
- To help family members connect to the Internet on the go and save money on their wireless bills, Internet Essentials customers will now enjoy 40 hours of free out-of-home WiFi access per month to the company’s network of Xfinity WiFi hotspots in addition to their in-home wifi.
Internet Essentials is structured to address each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption – digital literacy, access to computer equipment, and affordable Internet service. The program is also structured as a partnership between Comcast and thousands of school districts, libraries, elected officials, and nonprofit community partners.