Benton Institute for Broadband & Society - Comcast

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https://corporate.comcast.com/stories/comcast-remains-dedicated-to-closing-the-d…

Comcast Remains Dedicated to Closing the Digital Divide

benton — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 15:54:51 +0000

At Comcast, we remain committed to doing our part to help connect low-income households including:

Partial Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) Credit – To help ease the transition, all ACP customers will receive a federally funded ACP credit of $14 on their Xfinity bills ($35 on Tribal lands) for the month of May as the government program winds down.
Internet Essentials – We continue to offer Internet Essentials for $9.95/month. All current ACP customers are eligible to switch to Internet Essentials tiers during this transition.
Internet Essentials+ – For customers looking for even faster speeds, Internet Essentials Plus offers double the speed – up to 100 Mbps – for $29.95/month.
Xfinity Mobile Savings – For those looking to save money on their monthly bills, we’re also offering discounts to customers who bundle their Internet service with Xfinity Mobile. New Internet Essentials Plus customers can take advantage of a free line of Xfinity Mobile for one year. Additionally, current customers enrolled in ACP with Comcast who add Xfinity Mobile can get an additional free unlimited line for one year, potentially saving them hundreds of dollars per year.
NOW WiFi Pass – For individuals and families on the go, Comcast has introduced NOW WiFi Pass, which connects them to our 23 million+ Xfinity WiFi hotspots nationwide. Now through June 30, customers can get online for $10/month with no additional equipment required, no long-term commitments, or any cancellation fees.
Lift Zones – Individuals, whether they’re our customers or not, can access one of our more than 1,250 WiFi-connected Lift Zones across the country. Working with our extensive network of nonprofit partners, Lift Zones provide free Internet access in neighborhood locations like nonprofits, community centers, gyms, and parks and recreation facilities. Additionally, many locations have Digital Navigators – trusted and trained individuals who help them get online and learn digital skills.
Internet Essentials Partnership Program – Our Internet Essentials Partnerships Program (IEPP) provides the opportunity for school districts and other organizations to fund and connect large numbers of students and families to broadband access at home. Since 2020, IEPP has collaborated with hundreds of entities across the country to help connect K-12 students.
Partnerships and Project UP – We also continue to work with our network of thousands of nonprofit partners nationwide who are on the front lines of closing the digital divide. We’re investing in organizations that train thousands of trusted Digital Navigators who connect people to the Internet; and partners who advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators. This is all backed by Project UP, our $1B commitment to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Comcast will offer several cost-saving home broadband, Wi-Fi and mobile programs

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Author:

Broderick Johnson

Send date:

Sat, 04/13/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 4/12/2024

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Publish Date:

Fri, 04/12/2024

Coverage Type:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Agenda

Digital Divide

Federal Communications Commission

FCC Reform

Federal Broadband Programs

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Universal Broadband

Legislation

Level of Government

Federal

Marginalized Populations

Low-income

Comcast Reports 4th Quarter 2023 Results

zwalker@benton.org — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 18:24:21 +0000

Comcast Corporation reported results for the 4th quarter that ended December 31, 2023. Growth in residential connectivity revenue was driven by international connectivity revenue due to increases in wireless revenue, reflecting higher sales of wireless devices and services, and in broadband revenue, as well as the positive impact of foreign currency; domestic broadband revenue due to higher average rates; and domestic wireless revenue due to an increase in the number of customer lines. The growth in residential connectivity revenue was offset by a decrease in video revenue due to a decline in the number of video customers, partially offset by an increase in average rates and the positive impact of foreign currency; lower advertising revenue primarily due to a decline in domestic political advertising; and lower other revenue primarily due to lower residential wireline voice revenue, driven by a decline in the number of customers.

Benton Content:

https://www.cmcsa.com/news-releases/news-release-details/comcast-reports-4th-qua…

Teaser:

Comcast reported results for the 4th quarter of 2023

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Send date:

Fri, 01/26/2024

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Daily Digest 1/25/2024

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Thu, 01/25/2024

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Telecommunication

https://corporate.comcast.com/stories/funding-affordable-connectivity-program-cr…

Wireless Internet

Funding the Affordable Connectivity Program is Critical for Our Country’s Future

zwalker@benton.org — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 16:55:10 +0000

Our world increasingly operates online, and the Internet has forever changed our way of life. Today, everything—from working remotely and doing homework, to earning a degree or certificate, learning digital skills, applying for jobs, and communicating with your doctor—happens on the Internet. The impact is tremendous, and today more than 22 million Americans are online with the support of the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). Unfortunately, funding for the ACP may run out as soon as April—putting so much progress at risk. We agree with the bipartisan group of 174 mayors—representing cities from Scranton (PA) and Jackson (MS) to Beaverton (OR) and Oakland (CA)—who wrote to Congress highlighting the impact of the ACP and the urgent need to renew funding for the program. A new study by the Benenson Strategy Group illustrates how impactful the ACP has been for participating individuals and families. The study found that the program benefitted millions of households and may be the greatest advance in connecting lower-income families since our own Internet Essentials program was launched more than ten years ago. There’s a lot more work to do to enroll others, but as the Benenson research establishes, it’s well worth the investment.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

The loss of the Affordable Connectivity Program would put so much progress at risk

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Author:

Broderick Johnson

Send date:

Fri, 01/26/2024

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 1/25/2024

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Publish Date:

Thu, 01/25/2024

Coverage Type:

Federal Communications Commission

Agenda

Upcoming policy issue

Federal Agency

Federal Broadband Programs

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Legislation

Level of Government

Federal

Marginalized Populations

Low-income

Comcast Bleeding Broadband Customers

Grace Tepper — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 19:55:23 +0000

Comcast reported results for the third quarter (Q3) ended September 30, 2023. The company reported the domestic broadband average rate per customer increased by 3.9 percent and drove domestic broadband revenue growth of 3.8 percent. Fierce reported that Comcast continued to lose broadband subscribers in the third quarter, with executives predicting slightly higher losses for Q4. However, the company touted an uptick in broadband average revenue per user (ARPU). Domestic broadband net losses were 18,000, a slight sequential improvement from 19,000 losses in Q2 but a sharp decline from the 19,000 net additions in Q3 2022. Total domestic wireless line net additions were 294,000 and total domestic video customer net losses were 490,000. As for passings, Comcast in Q3 reached over 62 million homes and businesses passed, representing a 1.5 percent year-on-year increase.

Benton Content:

https://www.cmcsa.com/news-releases/news-release-details/comcast-reports-3rd-qua…

https://www.fiercetelecom.com/broadband/comcast-touts-arpu-gains-continues-shed-…

Teaser:

Comcast reported results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2023.

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Fri, 10/27/2023

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Daily Digest 10/26/2023

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Thu, 10/26/2023

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Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Selects 10 Startups for Accelerator on Emerging Enterprise AI Solutions

Wireless Internet

Comcast NBCUniversal LIFT Labs Selects 10 Startups for Accelerator on Emerging Enterprise AI Solutions (Comcast)

benton — Tue, 17 Oct 2023 19:54:02 +0000

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https://south.comcast.com/2023/10/11/comcast-nbcuniversal-foundation-awards-1750…

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Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 10/17/2023

Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation Awards $17,500 Grant to Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative in Charleston, South Carolina

Grace Tepper — Thu, 12 Oct 2023 21:06:28 +0000

Comcast awarded a $17,500 grant to Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative (TCCC), a nonprofit in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester (SC) counties. The funds from this grant are designed to educate more than 300 families living in rural and urban neighborhoods on the importance of broadband adoption in the home. In 2022, TCCC launched the Lowcountry Digital Equity Coalition, a regional alliance representing businesses, governments and other organizations dedicated to activities that ensure digital inclusion across Greater Charleston. The announcement comes on the heels of Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg proclaiming October 1 through 6 Digital Inclusion Week in the City of Charleston, with the goal of raising awareness of and promoting action on important digital equity solutions.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Comcast awarded a $17,500 digital inclusion grant to Tri-County Cradle to Career Collaborative in South Carolina.

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Send date:

Fri, 10/13/2023

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Daily Digest 10/12/2023

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Publish Date:

Thu, 10/12/2023

Coverage Type:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Digital Divide

https://corporate.comcast.com/stories/comcast-wireless-building-strategy-sustain…

Adoption

Universal Broadband

Comcast is selling its 600MHz spectrum licenses to T-Mobile because it’s ‘unlikely’ to need them

benton — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 11:53:01 +0000

Several years ago, Comcast acquired wireless spectrum in the CBRS and 600 MHz bands as a key building block to host even more data traffic on its own wireless networks. Beginning Sept 2023, after successful employee tests of the CBRS spectrum, Xfinity Mobile and Comcast Business Mobile customers in Philadelphia will start connecting to the company's new 5G network for the first time. This strong CBRS spectrum performance has made Comcast realize that it is unlikely to need the 600 MHz spectrum licenses that it currently holds to support wireless customers. As a result, Comcast recently entered into an agreement with T-Mobile in which T-Mobile will lease and eventually purchase Comcast's licenses in the 600 MHz band. Comcast will receive quarterly lease payments followed by a final payment of roughly $3.3 billion for the license purchase, expected in 2028.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

CBRS spectrum has exceeded Comcast's expectations

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Author:

Tom Nagel

Send date:

Wed, 09/13/2023

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Daily Digest 9/12/2023

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Wed, 09/13/2023

Coverage Type:

Ownership

Spectrum

https://corporate.comcast.com/stories/the-transformative-power-affordable-connec…

Wireless Internet

The Transformative Power of the Affordable Connectivity Program

dclay@benton.org — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 16:31:12 +0000

The federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) announced a new milestone. Launched nearly two years ago in 2021, it has now connected more than 20 million households to the Internet. This is a remarkable achievement and we at Comcast are proud to participate in the program. The ACP provides families with a $30/month benefit, $75/month on Tribal lands, toward their Internet bill. When applied to Comcast’s Internet Essentials or Internet Essentials Plus tiers, it makes connectivity to the Internet effectively free. However, we still face the challenge of getting millions more ACP-eligible households to enroll. Great progress is being made to close the digital divide, but too many families, in communities across the nation, have yet to take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity. Since day one, Comcast has been working to raise awareness about the ACP, and we are investing in hundreds of non-profit partners because closing that divide cannot be achieved without collaboration. For this reason, we are supporting Digital Navigators – people who teach digital skills at the neighborhood level – because we know they are key to the trust-building necessary for success. Unfortunately, the success of the ACP is causing an emerging dilemma. The $14 billion allocated to the FCC to provide vouchers to eligible households is likely to be exhausted early in 2024. Congress and the Biden Administration must work together to ensure that the ACP is fully funded – so tens of millions of Americans aren’t left without affordable Internet when the initial allocation of funding for the program is runs out.

Benton Content:

Teaser:

Comcast advocates for the continued allocation of funding for the ACP in 2024.

Source:

Author:

Broderick Johnson

Send date:

Thu, 08/17/2023

Daily Digest:

Daily Digest 8/16/2023

DD Publish Status:

Not Available

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Publish Date:

Wed, 08/16/2023

Coverage Type:

Digital Equity/Digital Inclusion

Digital Divide

Federal Agency

Federal Communications Commission

Federal Broadband Programs

Affordable Connectivity Program (was Emergency Broadband Benefit Program)

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

Adoption

Universal Broadband

Legislation

Level of Government

Federal

Marginalized Populations

Low-income

Comcast Is The First Internet Provider to Offer a Back-Up Connectivity Device Designed to Keep Customers Connected During a Storm

dclay@benton.org — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 16:22:01 +0000

Comcast becomes the first internet service provider to offer a product designed to maintain connectivity when a storm hits, trees are down, or a customer experiences a local outage, with the launch of Storm-Ready WiFi. With severe weather impacting many parts of the country, there has never been a greater need for a back-up connectivity solution. The Storm-Ready WiFi solution is equipped with cellular back-up enabling customers to work and stream without interruption. The device doubles as a WiFi extender and delivers a strong Wi-Fi signal to hard-to-reach corners of the home.

Benton Content:

https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-internet-provider-back-up-c…

Teaser:

Comcast's new Storm-Ready WiFi to provide connectivity to households even during storms and power outages.

Source: