Kestrell

From the company aoouncement
https://corporate.comcast.com/press/releases/comcast-affordable-connectivity-program-internet-essentials-service-xfinity-mobile?utm_source=ambassadors&utm_medium=social

Today, Comcast introduced two new ways for customers to connect through ACP and both are available to any customer who qualifies in all the company’s service areas. Customers can sign up for Internet Essentials Plus, which includes 100 Mbps download speeds, a cable modem, and WiFi router, and is free after the government’s ACP credit is applied. Additionally, Xfinity Internet customers participating in ACP now can add mobile service through Xfinity Mobile.
“As a company and a society, it is imperative that we work together to help people connect to the transformative power of the Internet both at home and on the go,” said Broderick Johnson, Executive Vice President, Public Policy and Digital Equity, Comcast Corporation. “The Affordable Connectivity Program is a once in a lifetime opportunity that Comcast is proud to support. Connectivity is just the beginning, however. We will continue to partner with nonprofit organizations across the country to deliver digital literacy skills training so more people can learn how to take full advantage of everything the Internet has to offer.”
For more than a decade, Comcast has been working with trusted community partners, businesses, and government to help millions of low-income households connect to the Internet and the technology they need to participate in the digital world. On February 14, 2022, the world saw how these efforts can produce inspirational results when Llulisa, a Comcast Internet Essentials customer who is enrolled in ACP, joined government leaders at the White House to tell her story about achieving her goal of being the first in her family to go to college.
Llulisa is just one example of millions of people across the country benefitting from access to the Internet through programs like ACP, which offers a $30/month discount on Internet service ($75/month on Tribal lands). Any Xfinity Internet or Internet Essentials customer who qualifies can use it to save money on their Internet bill. Comcast’s expanded ACP offers include:

Internet Essentials Plus
Internet Essentials Plus is a new tier of service for Comcast’s hallmark digital equity program that is available in all Comcast service areas to any customer who qualifies. It offers twice the download speed – up to 100 Mbps – of the traditional Internet Essentials service, which has a 50 Mbps download speed. Internet Essentials Plus is available for $29.95/month to new customers who qualify. Existing Internet Essentials customers can upgrade to this new, faster tier at any time. Customers who subscribe to Internet Essentials Plus and enroll in ACP will effectively get broadband for free after the $30/month government discount is applied.
Xfinity Mobile
Comcast’s top-rated Xfinity Mobile service, which includes 5G, is now available to customers enrolled in ACP, giving them the ability to save money on their connectivity needs inside and out of the home. Internet Essentials customers can use their $30/month ACP discount to pay for both Xfinity Internet and Xfinity Mobile service. For example, an Internet Essentials customer (paying $9.95/month) can add one line of Unlimited on Xfinity Mobile ($45/month) for $24.95/month after applying the ACP discount.
Xfinity Mobile has no line access or activation fees and comes with unlimited talk and text, so customers only pay for cellular data. Customers can mix and match between two straightforward plans on Xfinity Mobile with 5G included, Unlimited or By the Gig, and pair these mobile plans with any tier of Internet service to provide ultimate flexibility. They can also switch back and forth between Unlimited and By the Gig mobile plans at any time. In addition, Xfinity Mobile devices automatically connect to millions of Xfinity WiFi hotspots across the country to reduce customers’ dependence on cellular and save money.
Signing up for ACP
New and existing Xfinity Internet or Internet Essentials customers can visit
https://www.xfinity.com/learn/internet-service/ebb
or call 844-389-4681 for more information, to determine eligibility, and sign up.
Customers can also call to speak to a dedicated ACP Enrollment and Support Center that is available from 8AM to 12AM daily, with multi-lingual capabilities to assist anyone interested in the program.
Project UP and Comcast’s $1 Billion Commitment to Advance Digital Equity
Connecting more people to the Internet and the technology they need to participate and excel in an increasingly digital world has been a core focus for Comcast. Looking toward the next ten years, Comcast is building on that foundation and expanding its impact through Project UP, a comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities. Backed by a $1 billion commitment to reach tens of millions of people, Project UP encompasses the programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal, and Sky that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators. For more information on Project UP and the latest news on efforts to address digital inequities visit
https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.

from the Benton Institute for Broadband and Society weekly digest:

What constitutes a lifeline in 2021? Is it a phone? A smartphone? A fixed-location broadband connection? Or some combination of all these services? Last week, the Federal Communications Commission's Wireline Competition Bureau launched a proceeding seeking public input on a report on the state of the FCC's Lifeline program. The report will have a huge impact on what services are available to Lifeline's low-income participants.
Read the rest of the article
https://www.benton.org/blog/what-will-fcc-do-next-lifeline

Kes: Just yesterday I linked to an article I wrote a couple of months ago
How We All Became Disabled, But We’re Still Not All Connected
https://kestrell.dreamwidth.org/379979.html

and in that article I cited a study regarding the
FCC's Lifeline program
https://www.fcc.gov/lifeline-consumers
which is supposed to make communication services more affordable.
However, according to a FCC report from early in 2019, the Lifeline program, which relies on the phone companies to distribute phones to those who need them, makes little or no attempt to ensure that people with disabilities have a phone that they can access:

"only 17% of the phones provided to low-income people through the Federally-subsidized Lifeline program offer access to Wireless Emergency Alert Notifications, and only 26% of the Lifeline phone include text-to-speech, an accessibility tool which allows visually impaired people to hear what appears on the phone's screen. In addition, accessibility features for people who are deaf or hard of hearing are even more scarce: 58% of Lifeline phones lack the video calling features necessary for ASL users, and most phones lack hearing aid compatibility.”

So, how much have you had to rely on your phone in the past year to stay connected? to work? to education? to food deliveries? to telehealth? to schedule your Covid-19 vaccine?

And, of course, maintaining disability services relies on *a lot* of filling out of forms, following up on telehealth visits, tracking down mistakes that have resulted in the cutting off of services, and, well, I like to say, you aren't disabled until you've filled out the paperwork. In triplicate. At least twice. Because someone will lose the paperwork the first time.

It's almost as if the real goal is to *prevent* people with disabilities from acquiring services.