Month: February 2024

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 this week 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 (supported by Comcast) 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.

Without the program, we run the risk of reversing advancements made to attach so many “at risk” citizens as tightly as we can to the modern world. The study confirms what I have seen firsthand – the ACP is benefitting Americans from all walks of life and across the nation. In fact, nearly 50% of ACP enrollees are military families, nearly 41% live in the South, and nearly 26% live in rural areas.

According to ACP participants, if they are unable to continue participating in the program:

71% worry they will miss out on job opportunities that would help them get ahead financially.65% worry they will lose their job – a number that is even higher for Americans in rural zip codes.81% of ACP parents worry their children will fall behind in school.75% worry about losing access to important healthcare services, like online appointments or online prescription refills.

I’ve had the opportunity to cross this great nation to raise awareness about the critical role access to the Internet plays in our daily lives. Affordability has certainly been a significant barrier for many lower income households, and I have been able to point to the ACP and our own Internet Essentials (IE) program as substantial efforts to remove cost as a barrier. There are other barriers. I’ve met many who are simply unaware that they are eligible for these programs. And I’ve met others whose life experiences sadly make them distrust solutions like the ACP, as we have found in our research examining Internet Essentials. But along the way, I’ve met many inspiring Americans who are overcoming these barriers and whose lives have been transformed by the ACP and IE.

I’m especially proud of the outreach we’ve done in the military community – reaching veterans and military families through organizations like the Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training (MCVET). Last year, I visited MCVET in Baltimore where they helped a veteran named Michael learn about the ACP and connect to the Internet for the first time through Comcast. He is now using the Internet to access his hard-earned military benefits and set up job interviews to jumpstart a career in a new field.

There’s Mayra — a single mother of two in Philadelphia, PA. Without Internet access, her children struggled to the keep up with their schoolwork. But once she got her home connected with the help of the ACP (by enrolling in Comcast’s IE program), her children were able to stay on track in their own home. Today, one of her daughters is enrolled in a four-year university. She’s working to become one of the first in her family to graduate from college and to pursue her ultimate dream of becoming a lawyer.

I also met Gina— a mother of three from St. Paul, MN. When her kids faced a range of urgent and chronic health issues, she relied on ACP to help pay for home Internet so she could access digital healthcare and wellness services for her children.

At Comcast, we’ve been committed to closing the digital divide for more than a decade. For ACP participants concerned that the government will fail to extend the program, we have your back with options to keep you and your family connected. For example, we will continue to offer a variety of reliable, low-cost Internet services, like Internet Essentials, for as low as $9.95/month, the exact same price as when the service was introduced in 2011.

We’re also committed to reaching more Americans with our powerful network through expansions happening in every corner of the country. Every time Comcast flips the switch on a new residential block or bustling main street, we bring not only our world-class suite of services, but a commitment to supporting the community. In rural Biola, CA for example, we have invested in local organizations and since day one have shared broadband affordability resources like the ACP with residents.

Comcast also offers unlimited access to the nation’s largest network of WiFi hotspots through WiFi Pass, for $20/month. We’ll also continue to offer a range of speeds and service tiers to meet the needs of every household. In addition to our Internet products, we’ll leverage our expansive Digital Navigator network and our free, WiFi-connected Lift Zones in neighborhood community centers to ensure families have more ways to get online.

Connectivity has reinvented how we work and live. If we fail, in this historic moment, to reach the tens of millions of more Americans who don’t yet use the Internet at home, then our collective future is at risk. That’s why closing the digital divide must remain at the top of our country’s priority list. Comcast will continue to do its part, but the private sector can’t do it alone. Congress and the White House must make extending the ACP an immediate, bipartisan priority so that tens of millions of American households, including Michael’s, Mayra’s, and Gina’s get and stay connected to this critical resource.

Broderick D. Johnson is Executive Vice President, Public Policy, and Executive Vice President, Digital Equity for Comcast Corporation.

Verizon

IRVING, Texas, February 2, 2024 /3BL/ – Irving, Texas Mayor Rick Stopfer announced Verizon as the recipient of the Mayor’s Corporate Award of Excellence at the 2024 State of the City hosted by the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce. The Mayor’s Corporate Award of Excellence recognizes a company, organization or individual that exemplifies excellence in the work it does, the services it offers, the contributions it makes to the community and the commitment it provides to the city and its residents.

“Verizon exemplifies the spirit of collaboration and corporate responsibility, values that we hold in high regard in Irving,” said Mayor Rick Stopfer. “Verizon has long been a valued member of Irving’s business community, contributing economically and philanthropically to the city. Their commitment to excellence, innovation and community engagement makes them a model winner of the 2024 Mayor’s Award.”

“Verizon is honored to be recognized with Mayor Stopfer’s Corporate Award of Excellence,” said Verizon Market President Michelle R. Miller. “Irving has been our regional home for many years and we are proud of our long history with the city. It’s where our employees work, play and serve the community and it is still a place where we see opportunity ahead of us.”

For more than 30 years, Verizon has had a corporate campus in Irving. Known as Hidden Ridge, the campus serves as a worksite for thousands of employees in varying functions including consumer, business and network. Hidden Ridge is one of seven engagement hubs for the company. The goal of these hubs is to create cultural centers where employees can come together, work together and connect with each other. The hub locations represent key business and talent markets for the company.

“Verizon is a well-deserved recipient of the Mayor’s Corporate Award of Excellence,” said Beth A. Bowman, President and CEO of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce and Irving Economic Development Partnership. “The team at Verizon have been valuable partners to the Chamber and Irving Economic Development Partnership, as we strive to take care of our member-investors and attract businesses to expand or relocate home to Irving-Las Colinas. Verizon has also been a great community partner and we thank them for their investment in Irving-Las Colinas.”

Since 2017, Verizon has played an integral role in supporting education in Irving. Through Verizon Innovative Learning, over 24,000 students have been reached across 13 schools within the Irving Independent School District, equipping them with free technology, internet access and innovative STEM learning. 100% of eligible middle and high schools are part of the program. The district was also awarded nine Verizon Innovative Learning Labs, providing students and teachers access to emerging technologies such as augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing, and artificial intelligence. The multi-year initiative brings a project-based curriculum to help solve real-world problems in a custom-designed, experiential learning lab.

Verizon’s holistic investment in the greater Irving-Las Colinas community – and across the nation – ladder back to Citizen Verizon, the company’s responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement. Verizon is moving the world forward through action by expanding digital access and resources, protecting the climate, and ensuring people have the skills needed for jobs of the future.

Additional local investments made by Verizon include recent major upgrades to the network serving customers in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. These upgrades are part of a multi-year redesign of its network architecture to stay ahead of exponential data usage increases, upgrade the technology in the network, and pave the way for personalized customer experiences. Network upgrades to DFW include deploying new cell sites to extend coverage and capacity in local communities and 5G C-Band bandwidth upgrades, which has resulted in increased speeds across the DFW Metroplex.