and people who need it. And to
Comcast, 40 color jus is the
senior director of public
relations external
communications for the Houston
region of Comcast. And joining
her joining me as well as Jim
Miller Bird, a parent who now
is seeing the impact of better
connectivity. Good morning to
both of you. More now. So tell
me about how the how big the
problem has been for
communities not having the
connectivity they need. The
problem has been huge and it’s
really been exacerbated in
looked at very closely because of the pandemic. And what we
of the pandemic. And what we
saw when kids started going to
virtual virtual learning we
saw it because there are many
parents that either could not
work. A computer didn’t know how to work. A computer didn’t
how to work. A computer didn’t
have that Internet
connectivity or just didn’t
have Internet at home period
so that they can help their
students. They had to juggle their life. So this was
their life. So this was
something that that was
already there before the
pandemic. But I think a lot
more people realize it in
their homes during the
pandemic. Now you have a
program called the Affordable Connectivity Program. What is
Connectivity Program. What is
that and how can people get
involved? So the affordable
connectivity program really is
a once in a lifetime program
by the federal government to help get folks Internet in
help get folks Internet in
their homes by providing a $30
monthly credit towards their
Internet bill. Never in this
country have we had something
like this before? We’ve had it
with housing, for example, with vouchers, for housing.
with vouchers, for housing.
We’ve had it for SNAP
benefits, for example, to
help, you know, folks who need
food, but never before for the
Internet. And so. This this was an effort and isn’t an
was an effort and isn’t an
amazing effort for the federal
government to help people like
to millet to help people all
over 10’s of thousands, in
fact, in the Houston area who don’t have internet inside of
don’t have internet inside of
their homes right talk about
the challenges you are facing
before you got involved and
got in contact with this
program and how is it helps you? when the pandemic first I
you? when the pandemic first I
kind of.
>> So it kind of slowdown in
business for me. So it are
stocking up for the Internet service. I was introduced to
service. I was introduced to
the program through my
daughter’s school it was very
easy to sign a. It was a great
program. Once I got the Internet it made everything so
Internet it made everything so
much better for my household.
It first we had to go to the
library and friends and family
houses just to use Internet service so they can do like
service so they can do like
their work assignments and
everything. But once we got
the Internet brought so much
family time back into the home
it was just great. The kids
could do their work and their
rooms. I could do work on my
computer and then begin to
look for a guy, you know, so
it works for the children and
for the parents. How it that
life is just totally change
for you? They So I I want to
make sure that people know
this isn’t a commercial for
Comcast. This is information
about where and how those of
you who may need it can take
advantage.
>> Of either free Internet
service or so deeply
discounted that it’s almost
free. One of those is that you
have lift zones around and we
had a conversation earlier
about that. What our lives
owns. you’ve got opportunity
for free laptops as well as
some of your programs.
Absolutely. So when we talk
about the digital divide and
we talk about digital equity,
we have to approach our
communities in in different
ways because cost is just one
reason why people don’t have the Internet at home. There’s
the Internet at home. There’s
other reasons to like
connectivity. They don’t have
the connectivity. They don’t
have the laptops at home how
to use them.
>> Lift zones, replace where
folks can go to have access to the Internet. They can also
the Internet. They can also
get digital skills training.
We have 50 lift zones around
the community. 50, 50 lift
zones around the community
like at the Boys, Girls, Boys
and Girls Club in Houston, Emancipation Community Center
Emancipation Community Center
has one as well. So you can
usually access one of those
lift zones anywhere in the
Houston area by one of these
50’s some. Have you been able to take advantage of any of
to take advantage of any of
that?
>> I have. I my 15 year-old.
She has a laptop to the
program. So it is helping a lot of different ways. That is
lot of different ways. That is
amazing. So what does it
person lives doesn’t matter
where they live in order to
take advantage of these were
with those of you say you have
the locations as long as you can go to a location. That’s a
can go to a location. That’s a
good thing. Exactly. how can
somebody get a computer out of
this whole deal is that you
get at the lifts own or with
how do you do that? So we
provide a computer at a low cost through our Internet
cost through our Internet
essentials program, which
we’ve been doing for 10 years
now, 10 plus years.
>> Folks who qualify can get a
computer for 150 bucks. We also partner 100 feet 100 150
also partner 100 feet 100 150
bucks. That’s correct 150
bucks. You can also you can
all we also partner with
community organizations here in Houston to give away free
in Houston to give away free
laptops during certain times
of the year. Okay, people.
Okay. So I need to people know
where they can get this
information. How what the best
way for them to find out about all of these programs you’ve
all of these programs you’ve
been talking about so in their
central dot com is one place.
Xfinity dot com slash ACP is
the place you can go to find out elgibility requirements
out elgibility requirements
for a CP, how to apply where
to apply and instructions.
General instructions about
ACP. So I’m gonna put all that
information on the newsmakers page click 2 Houston dot com.
page click 2 Houston dot com.
So you can all get that as