In an attempt to bridge the nation's digital divide, the country's largest Internet provider soon will offer discount broadband access to help low-income families get online.
The service, called Internet Essentials, costs $9.95 a month for households that qualify. Also as part of the program, subscribers will be able to purchase a computer for $150.
The program will roll out in the Richmond area beginning with the new school year, said Kenneth M. Dye, Comcast's director of government and community affairs. He made the announcement Thursday at the main Richmond Public Library during a meeting of researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University, community organizations and residents on how to close the area's digital divide.
The new service will be comparable to Comcast's economy service, which costs $40.95 per month, according to a company website.
In addition to its low price, the program also will offer free Internet training to participating families to boost their digital literacy. Training will be available online, via printed materials and through face-to-face classroom instruction.
"This is good for everybody in the long term," Dye said of the new initiative.
Nancy Stutts of VCU's Wilder School of Government and Public affairs, a co-author of a new report on Internet access in the Richmond region, said the goal of Thursday's meeting was not only to discuss the study but also to talk about how local organizations can unite to close the area's digital gap.
"There's already a lot of you out there working on this issue," she told attendees. But, she said, more needs to be done.
According to U.S. census data, 22 percent of Virginia homes don't have access to broadband Internet, versus 32 percent of homes nationwide.
The VCU report found that the digital divide not only has social ramifications but also economic ones because those who don't know how to use technology aren't able to compete for jobs with those who do.
Prayas Neupane of Voice of the World, a nonprofit group that offers technology training, said the region's digital divide should be a serious concern.
"We want the local community to realize that this is an issue that needs to be addressed, because nowadays it's a technologically different world," said Neupane, a recent University of Richmond graduate in international studies. "If students are failing in technology education, they lack the skills to move forward."
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