Comcast Creating 1000 Wifi Zones For Students

Comcast announced in late 2020 that it would create 1,000 Lift Zones by the end of 2021. Lift Zones are safe and public areas with free Wi-Fi that communities can use to access the internet.

Student Internet Access During the Pandemic

The digital divide is a real problem in the United States, and it has been for some time. Since the turn of the century, there have been calls to do more to close the affordability and availability gaps. Some efforts were made, such as the Lifeline program and various grants to internet service providers. But it was the pandemic that showed that what we were doing as a country simply was not enough. A poignant image of two children sitting behind a Taco Bell in order to access Wi-Fi and complete their homework assignments really encapsulated the problems that so many American families faced.

Public Wi-Fi Access

Free public Wi-Fi is viewed as an important stepping stone in closing the digital divide. While it will not solve the fundamental problems of affordability or even availability, it will provide students an avenue through which to attend school and complete assignments as the pandemic continues. Furthermore, it is not good enough just to have public access. The access must be available in locations where children are safe and in environments that are conducive to their educations.

Comcast Lift Zones

This is where the concept of Lift Zones come in, and the term represents the hope that these locations will lift up the communities in which they are located. Each zone is carefully selected not just to be suitable for free Wi-Fi but to provide the safe learning environment discussed above. Community centers are ideal and where most current Lift Zones have been established. As of this writing, Comcast has already opened Lift Zones in Baltimore, Chicago, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Philadelphia and Trenton. Comcast is currently working with school districts, public libraries, elected officials and various nonprofit organizations to find other appropriate locations and help with the logistics of the install.

Hours of Educational and Digital Skills Content

Lift Zones do not end with free public Wi-Fi in a safe environment. Comcast also provides funds for hours of educational classes focused on digital skills and other relevant areas. When we discuss the availability gap in the U.S., the focus is usually on the parts of rural America that lack access to broadband internet. But there is another component to the availability gap: accessibility. There are many people who simply lack the skills to access the internet and participate in all of these activities that so many of us take for granted. These classes are structured to provide people those skills.

Internet Essentials Program

Comcast and Spectrum is not alone among ISPs in its efforts to help close the digital divide. However, it does deserve recognition for its efforts. Lift Zones are just the next step in a long line of efforts. Comcast, for instance, was among the first ISPs to provide internet plans specifically for low-income families, and in 2011, it instituted the Internet Essentials program. For less than $10 a month—not coincidently the exact amount of the Lifeline benefit—families get access to better than broadband internet at 50 Mbps. Subsidized computers are also available through the service, and Comcast has helped more than 100,000 households in that manner.

Closing the Digital Divide

No one solution will close the digital divide, but the future certainly seems brighter than it did prior to the pandemic. Congress has earmarked significant funds for improvement to our broadband infrastructure. Public availability of Starlinkand HughesNet will be here within the year, and ISPs like Comcast are making significant investments to help close the divide in their service areas.