Comcast Internet $9.95/mo if your kids receive free lunch

[lpereira]

The program isn't being run because Comcast has an altruistic bent. They are required by the terms of their NBC purchase to provide lowcost internet and computers ($149.99) to low income 2.5 million people. Because the government has decided that the internet (and cell phones) is now a civil right- yes someone actually called the internet a civil right. So either the government decided that comcast buying nbc was monopolistic but agreed to it to give people reduced internet or it didn't violate regulations but the government held comcast hostage until it agreed to its demands.

The cost of this program will be paid for by comcast customers. The cost of the cell phones ( i know it is a separate issue from comcast) is paid for by tax payers.

 

[bop28]

So, how are kids that qualify for free lunch getting the computers to use for the internet? Most of the kids on free lunch I know don't even have books to read at home, much less a computer that is capable of running high speed internet As a matter of fact, there are plenty of kids who don't qualify for free lunch who don't have a computer in the home.

Not sure about other school districts, but, in the Detroit school system alone, $49,000,000 in stimulus money was used last January to purchase free laptops for all the kids. By March, teachers as well as students were caught selling tons of them in pawn shops. Just Google Detroit news outlets on this subject.

 

[dodukes]

I cannot imagine being worried/upset over the potential for paying a few cents more for a luxury when the reason is so that poor kids can have a better educational/technological foundation. This isn't a tax. Don't like it, drop Comcast for one of their competitors.

No it doesn't concern me one bit as I don't have Comcast,nor would I ever if I could help it.

If you "can hardly keep up" maybe you shouldn't be paying Comcast for whatever service you have with them. No one forces you to buy into their service. It is a choice.

And can you explain to me the difference in "regular folk" and "non regular folk"? Is that something thats based on income now?

I don't have Comcast. I think you are looking too deep into the regular folk stuff.

So, how are kids that qualify for free lunch getting the computers to use for the internet? Most of the kids on free lunch I know don't even have books to read at home, much less a computer that is capable of running high speed internet As a matter of fact, there are plenty of kids who don't qualify for free lunch who don't have a computer in the home.

Theres a voucher supposedly for them to be able to buy a computer for like $150.

You can always quit your job and go on welfare and get it free too so your not stuck having to pay for it for everyone else whoever that is. lol

Trust me Ive thought about it.....lol

 

[kaytieeldr]

The program isn't being run because Comcast has an altruistic bent. They are required by the terms of their NBC purchase to provide lowcost internet and computers ($149.99) to low income 2.5 million people.

Possibly you haven't read the entire (short) thread? ellone pointed this out in post three or four.

So the government "made" them do it. Maybe it was Comcast's suggestion, part of their and NBC's plan for the buyout. Whatever the reason, maybe other cable companies will follow suit.

 

[CathrynRose]

And they can increase rates for regular subscribers to pay for this - nice, eh?

Super nice.



I pay $175/mo - for 'extended' (or something) Cable - so I can have NatGeo, TLC, etc and Internet.No movie channels. Apparently the deal also comes with a phone, which I don't need, so I have the modem sitting in a box. BUT if I drop the phone, it goes *UP*.

Want the truth? This irritates me.

 

[lpereira]

I did read the entire short thread. Nice of you to express concern about my reading or literacy skills. I cant quote on my phone or spell check either.
I was attempting to reiterate the required part because it tied into my thoughts that the government is selling either selling out paying consumers to fund their expanded civil rights program or engaging in extortion of the corporation to fund their expanded civil rights program. I'm no fan of comcast but I am more not a fan of extortion.
When what is a civil right is expanded into the realm of things like internet access or cell phones we begin to lose sight of what exactly a civil right is and it means less.

 

[lpereira]

And apparently I can't type on my phone while cooking dinner and keeping my child from attempting to burn herself on my stove either. In above remove the unnecessary selling out from the sentence and carry on.

 

[kelma]

I cannot imagine being worried/upset over the potential for paying a few cents more for a luxury when the reason is so that poor kids can have a better educational/technological foundation. This isn't a tax. Don't like it, drop Comcast for one of their competitors.

Well said

Kelma - mom to 2 princes and 2 princesses

 

[dispor]

I cannot imagine being worried/upset over the potential for paying a few cents more for a luxury when the reason is so that poor kids can have a better educational/technological foundation. This isn't a tax. Don't like it, drop Comcast for one of their competitors.

I am having a hard time following your reasoning. Are you saying that internet access is a luxury, or are you saying it is vital to education?

Sadly, I think most of these $150 computers and discounted internet access will not be used for educational purposes.

 

[Colleen27]

I am having a hard time following your reasoning. Are you saying that internet access is a luxury, or are you saying it is vital to education?

Sadly, I think most of these $150 computers and free internet access will not be used for educational purposes.

Both. The two ideas are not contradictory.

Internet access is not necessary to survival. It isn't shelter, food, or basic utilities and a family living paycheck-to-paycheck doesn't need the additional burden. But it is an essential element of keeping up in a modern educational environment and the "technology gap" is well documented at all levels of our educational system.

I'll give you a concrete example of where it matters. In my state, school districts will pay for dual enrollment college courses for high school students who meet academic requirements. It is limited to academic courses and is an excellent way to get a head start on college, especially for those kids for whom affording higher education will be a struggle. However, online courses are generally the most suitable for the program because they neither conflict with the high school day nor require the long commute to the nearest community college campus from rural/small town districts like mine. Participation rates vary greatly enough by income that our principal has looked into the possibility of offering evening computer lab hours to allow the children of lower-income/working-poor families to take advantage of tuition-free college courses (with no success, I might add - the district just doesn't have the funds).

 

[Poohforyou]

Super nice.



I pay $175/mo - for 'extended' (or something) Cable - so I can have NatGeo, TLC, etc and Internet.No movie channels. Apparently the deal also comes with a phone, which I don't need, so I have the modem sitting in a box. BUT if I drop the phone, it goes *UP*.

Want the truth? This irritates me.

It irratates me as well. I'm so tired of getting nickled and dimed. Oh, and I think using poor children as pawns here is disgusting. I understand unplanned financial set backs but I don't get people having children they clearly can't afford to provide for. Let Comcast use their profits to pay for this. Don't come knocking on my door even if it is a few pennies. When Comcast is the only game in town you don't have many options. Harsh as it may be that's my opinion.

 

[Free4Life11]

You know, I only posted this since this IS the Budget Board and it's a great budget option if you qualify! A little surprised at the sour grapes...plenty of people get discounts that I don't qualify for (military, seniors, students, etc.) but I don't worry about businesses passing on the cost to me.

And no extortion here:

The Applicants have also made a number of additional voluntary commitments, many of which the Commission has adopted as conditions to the transaction’s approval. Most of these commitments are geared towards enhancing the public interest as a result of the joint venture. These commitments include:

Broadband Adoption and Deployment. Comcast will make available to approximately 2.5 million low income households: (i) high-speed Internet access service for less than $10 per month; (ii) personal computers, netbooks, or other computer equipment at a purchase price below $150; and (iii) an array of digital-literacy education opportunities. Comcast will also expand its existing broadband networks to reach approximately 400,000 additional homes, provide broadband Internet access service in six additional rural communities, and provide free video and high-speed Internet service to 600 new anchor institutions, such as schools and libraries, in underserved, low-income areas.

http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/01/18/comcast-nbc-merger-read-the-fcc-approval-letter/

 

[crazelion]

How do the inner city kids get computers buy hot off the streets? That so true. Go in the inner city sometime see the kinds of things they sell on the street.

Yes said it. I know its true.

Goes hide now and put on flame suit.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I did read the entire short thread. Nice of you to express concern about my reading or literacy skills. I cant quote on my phone or spell check either.

Reading or literacy skills? How did you get THAT out of what I wrote? I said 'didn't', not 'couldn't'. Frequently people respond to the initial post without reading anything else that's been said.

Now, what kind of phone do you have and why won't it let you quote? Maybe we can figure out a workaround .

 

[mjbaby]

As a comcast customer who has had my share of issues and complaints over the years, I don't mind this program at all and I don't mind that the company was compelled to do it.

In a time when we're ever more concerned about "the digital divide" and its effect on American competitiveness in a global marketplace, I wholly support what Comcast is doing here (regardless of the motivation). There are some smart kids out there who are seriously underserved educationally. If this helps bring them up to speed in terms of competitiveness, I'm all for it.

 

[seashoreCM]

But will Comcast haggle or wheel and deal with the rest of us for Internet service or whatever as opposed to say take it or leave it?

 

[karice2]

Just wondering, do you have to recertify every year or is that rate into perpetuity?

I think that this is a good thing if there is some sort of check and balances. 2.5 million isn't really a lot so I don't want people to get it and then disenfranchise someone else when their situation improves.

It does annoy me that my rates may go up because of it though.

Another thing that came to mind while typing my first sentence.

If I am not mistaken, the federal government collects a telecommunications tax that was passed long ago to pay for people to get telephone service. Don't they still collect that, why isn't that used to provide high speed internet to everyone.

It appears to be an infrastructure issue that some people cannot get anything but Comcast for their internet provider. I believe that Google was interested in doing a public/private partnership to bring high speed internet to different communities. What happened to that?

If the federal government is going to frame this as a civil right then why isn't more done to bring the high speed internet throughout the country, especially to the rural parts that don't have access?

Can someone sue the government if they don't get their internet? Is internet access now protected under the constitution? Is there an Americans without internet access act that we haven't heard about?

I know I am being kind of snarky and I know that the digital divide is something that is keeping the country from really competing on a global level but internet as a civil right is a little extreme and kind of offensive.

 

[Colleen27]

But will Comcast haggle or wheel and deal with the rest of us for Internet service or whatever as opposed to say take it or leave it?

That depends on whether or not they have competitors in your area. My mom gets great deals with them by haggling over their prices relative to another cable/internet provider every time the prices or packages change. We, on the other hand, get the "take it or leave it" line because in our area it is Comcast or nothing - no other cable companies serve our little town and Comcast relies on the drawbacks of satellite/DSL to keep people coming back at any price.

 

[DawnM]

Many people are falling on hard times through no fault of their own, I don't understand the "they shouldn't even have kids" mentality.

I have a dear friend who has gone through a nasty divorce and is now going back to school to become a nurse after age 40.

She didn't choose this for sure but she can certainly benefit from a service like this as she has no internet right now and is having a hard time getting school completed without it. She has kids at home so going to the library for long periods of time when the kids are home is difficult.

I am passing along this info.

Dawn

 

[torinsmom]

Many people are falling on hard times through no fault of their own, I don't understand the "they shouldn't even have kids" mentality.

I have a dear friend who has gone through a nasty divorce and is now going back to school to become a nurse after age 40.

She didn't choose this for sure but she can certainly benefit from a service like this as she has no internet right now and is having a hard time getting school completed without it. She has kids at home so going to the library for long periods of time when the kids are home is difficult.

I am passing along this info.

Dawn

LOL, a lot of us would not be alive if our parents had followed the mentality of who an afford to have kids I know people who waited for that time to come and it never came. I had my son living paycheck to paycheck and I have managed just fine. He seriously would never have been born if I had waited until I had a big savings account and all my ducks in a row. What the world would have missed out one too!