Comcast's Internet Essentials project gathers pace

US cableco Comcast has reported strong progress for its ‘Internet Essentials’ broadband adoption programme in the US, and revealed that more than 100,000 families and 400,000 low-income Americans are now benefitting from the initiative, designed to close the digital divide.

The programme, now in its second year, offers residential internet service to eligible households for $9.95 a month, with a guarantee of no price increases, no activation fees and no equipment rental fees. It also includes a voucher to purchase a low-cost computer for $149.99.

Since launching the programme, Comcast has improved it in a number of ways, including expanding the entry criteria to include families with children eligible to receive reduced price school lunches, and also doubled the speeds available to up to 3Mbps downstream and up to 768Kbps upstream.