FCC enlists more cable providers to present discounted broadband to low-income families

Back in September, Comcast teamed up with the FCC to provide discounted broadband access to low-income families, inside the hopes of bridging the connectivity gulf separating the haves from the have-nots. Today, that campaign is gaining new momentum, now that point Warner Cable, Cox and most other major US cable providers have thrown their hats into the hoop. In line with the recent York Times, most of the industry’s heaviest hitters have agreed to provide high-speed access for just $9.99 per 30 days, fueling the FCC’s efforts to succeed in the estimated 100 million Americans without an at-home internet connection. The low-cost service would be made available for a 2-year period to disconnected families who’ve a minimum of one child enrolled within the national school lunch program, and who’ve not recently subscribed to a broadband provider. On top of that, Microsoft will provide discounted computers to those families at a worth of $150, with Morgan Stanley offering microcredit to those that want a little beyond regular time to make the payment. FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski says the initiative, slated to be announced later today, should make a “real dent within the broadband adoption gap,” by making the net more accessible and, in theory, more valuable. The Commission hopes to expand this system to all the country by September 2012, now that it’s enlisted most cable heavyweights. Notably missing from the initiative are Verizon and AT&T (which has its own FCC-related matters to fret about), though the justifications for his or her absence remain unclear.

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This post is tagged: home internet connection, low income families, national school lunch, national school lunch program, school lunch program