Internet-service providers weighed in Monday on the White House‘s promotion of the 10 million households now served by some of its billions of dollars in broadband subsidies. 

The ISPs wanted to point out they have been offering affordable broadband to millions through their own subsidy programs for years, though they welcome the Biden administration‘s help (as long as it is targeted to the unserved and not to overbuilding in the name of price and competition).

“As the nation’s leading broadband industry, we join the Administration in celebrating the milestone of connecting ten million households to the internet via the subsidy program that Congress included in last year’s infrastructure legislation,“ Michael Powell, president and of NCTA–The Internet & Television Association, said. ”For the past decade, over 14 million consumers have subscribed to the internet via NCTA member company broadband adoption programs which include low-cost services of $10-$20 per month, discounts for computers and digital skills and literacy training. 

Also: Broadband Prices Have Been Dropping

“Cable broadband providers strongly supported inclusion of the federal subsidy in the infrastructure legislation and are active participants in the Affordable Connectivity Program,“ Powell added. “These collective public-private efforts are making a real difference in closing the digital divide and we remain committed to the mission of connecting all Americans to the internet through these programs plus our efforts to build new networks in areas that don’t yet have service.”

Comcast also pointed to its Internet Essentials program.

“Comcast is an active participant in providing connectivity through this program and has been working on the issue of broadband adoption among low-income families for over a decade,” the company said, including pointing to its own 10 million benchmark.

“In 2011, we launched Internet Essentials, a $9.95 tier of service geared for low-income families,” Comcast added. “Since the program launched, we’ve kept the price the same while increasing speeds and features, and we’re proud to have connected 10 million people, including 5 million students, over the past 10 years. Comcast is working to get the word out to customers and community partners about the ACP and help get even more people connected to broadband, example materials are attached.”

The White House called on the public and others to help spread the word about the ACP program, including at community events and on social media. ■ 

Comcast said it has expanded its Internet Essentials program to include federal Pell Grant recipients and pledged to invest $15 million in free internet service and equipment, including 25,000 laptop computers, to low income students, seniors, veterans and adults. 

The Philadelphia-based MSO launched Internet Essentials in 2011, and so far the program, which targets low-income families, has helped more than 10 million people connect to broadband at home. The expansion is part of Comcast’s Project UP, the company’s $1 billion initiative to reach 50 million people with the tools, resources and skills needed for success in the digital world.

As the pandemic has highlighted the need for reliable broadband connections to the home, Comcast said research shows how lower income families are faced with unique adoption challenges such as housing insecurity, literacy challenges, language barriers, and broadband relevancy issues. Comcast said its digital equity efforts have been designed to address as many of these challenges as possible, including offering low-cost broadband Internet at home; the option to purchase a heavily subsidized, affordable computer; access to free WiFi in community centers nationwide; and numerous options to acquire the digital skills necessary to navigate distance learning and use the internet.

The 25,000 laptops will be donated to low-income students, seniors, veterans and adults in cities nationwide, such as Houston, Texas; Sacramento, California; Seattle; Philadelphia; Hartford, Connecticut; Baltimore; Memphis, Tennessee; Atlanta; Detroit; Chicago; Jacksonville, Florida; Minneapolis; Oakland; Boston; Pittsburgh; and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“Digital equity is key to success in education and economic mobility, now and into the future,” Comcast executive VP of public policy and digital equity Broderick Johnson said in a statement. “As our economic, medical, and educational systems become increasingly digital, it’s more important than ever that every American gets online. For those young people pursuing higher education, the expansion of IE eligibility to Pell Grant recipients is a real boost. Through the announcements we are making today, we will help support the development of a workforce that has the digital skills necessary to adapt to rapid shifts in a fast-evolving economy.”

Making the Internet Essentials program available to Pell Grant recipients in its service territory enables students to stay connected as they continue to pursue degrees at colleges, universities, and technical schools. The Federal Pell Grant program, established in 1965, is the largest source of federal grant aid for students pursuing a post-secondary education.

“One thing this pandemic has taught us is the necessity of digital access for all students,” Council for Opportunity in Education president Maureen Hoyler said in a statement. “By expanding eligibility to include Pell Grant recipients, Internet Essentials has taken an important step towards helping low-income college students realize their postsecondary goals.”

Video subscriber losses doubled and broadband customer increases reached record levels at Comcast in the second quarter, the first full quarter affected by COVID-19.

Comcast said it lost 477,000 video customers in the period, more than double the 224,000 it lost in the prior year. At the same time, broadband had its best second quarter in 13 years, with subscribers rising by 323,000 in the period, compared to an increase of 209,000 in the same period last year. Comcast said the broadband growth did not include more than 600,000 additional high-risk or free Internet Essentials customers that receive service but were not included in reported results.

Despite the decline in video customers, Cable Communications revenue was essentially flat at $14.4 billion, while EBITDA at the distribution segment was up 5.5% to $6.2 billion, driven exclusively by broadband gains.

Overall consolidated revenue was down 11.7% to $23.7 billion and EBITDA declined 9.1% to $7.9 billion, mainly due to a sharp falloff in its cable network and movie studio businesses.

At NBCUniversal, revenue dipped 25.4% to $6.1 billion and EBITDA fell 29.5% to $1.6 billion as declining ad revenue and pressure from pandemic-related closures at its Theme Parks and movie studio ruled the day.

Cable network revenue fell 14.7% in the quarter, as ad sales dipped 27% and distribution revenue was down 14.8% reflecting credits accrued at some of its regional sports networks from the decreased number of games played by pro sports leagues and declines in pay TV customers. EBITDA was up 3.5% in the period, mainly because of lower programming and operating costs.

Broadcast revenue was down 1.6% in the quarter to $2.4 billion, reflecting a 28% decline in ad revenue. Content licensing revenue was up 58.5%, primarily due to licensing deals with its own Peacock streaming service, which debuted to Comcast customers in April but launched nationally on July 15, and retransmission consent revenue was up 9.2%, primarily due to higher retransmission consent fees. That helped drive a 20% increase in adjusted EBITDA to $641 million in the period.

Filmed Entertainment revenue was down 18.1% to $1.2 billion, driven by a 96.8% decline in theatrical revenue.

Content licensing revenue increased 19.5%, helped by titles that were made available on premium video on demand like Trolls World Tour and The King of Staten Island, and deals with Peacock in the period. Lower operating costs as the pandemic shut down most production in the quarter, helped drive adjusted EBITDA up 24.8% to $228 million in the quarter.

Comcast announced earlier this month that it is narrowing the window between theatrical and VOD releases with theater chain AMC Entertainment from 75 days to 17 days.

“Our response to COVID-19 has been extraordinarily fast and effective, and our products and brands continue to resonate strongly with our customers across all segments and all geographies,“ Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said in a press release. “The solid results that we delivered in the quarter highlight the resilience of our company...Overall, based on our results and the many organic growth opportunities that we have across our company, I am confident in our ability to continue to successfully navigate the impact of COVID-19, and emerge from the crisis even stronger. I could not be more proud of how our teams across Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal and Sky are together managing the business."

Comcast said it’s expanding to its entire footprint its Internet Essentials program, which provides low-income households with inexpensive broadband access.

The expansion means 3 million eligible households, many including seniors and disabled people, are eligible. for the plan.

The program provides high-speed internet access for $9.95 a month, and the option to purchase a subsidized personal computer.

To be eligible for the program, low-income applicants simply need to show they are participating in one of more of a dozen different federal assistance programs. These include: Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

In the eight years since the program was launched, Comcast says it’s connected more than 8 million low-income people to the internet.

“The Internet is arguably the most important technological innovation in history, and it is unacceptable that we live in a country where millions of families and individuals are missing out on this life-changing resource,” said David L. Cohen, senior executive VP and chief diversity officer of Comcast NBCUniversal. “Whether the Internet is used for students to do their homework, adults to look for and apply for new jobs, seniors to keep in touch with friends and family, or veterans to access their well-deserved benefits, it is absolutely essential to be connected in our modern, digital age.”

"I’m pleased to see the expansion of the Internet Essentials program throughout the Comcast footprint to include low-income households that receive government assistance like SNAP, Medicaid or SSI," said FCC Democratic Commissioner Geoffrey Starks, who was in attendance at Comcast's Miami kick-off event. "This makes opportunities, like pursuing an education, accessing healthcare, or fulfilling a dream of starting a business, attainable for more people in our respective communities." 

Comcast has announced that its subsidized ISP program Internet Essentials has now been provided to six million low-income Americans.

In addition to the benchmark, the cable company also said it will expand the program to nearly one million low-income military veterans.

Comcast said it has connected two million users to Internet Essentials just in the last year—its largest annual increase to date.

Related: Comcast Connects on New Internet Essentials Campaign

“This program has had an enormous impact on millions of families and children who now have high-speed Internet at home, many for the first time in their lives,” said David L. Cohen, senior executive VP and chief diversity officer for Comcast, in a statement. “We’re excited to extend that same opportunity to more than one million, low-income veterans. Veterans have stood up for our country, now it’s time for us to stand up for them by providing access to life-changing digital tools and resources.”

Comcast also announced that U.S. Olympic Gold Medalists Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando will join Cohen on a multi-city tour to raise awareness for the Internet Essentials program.

In an annual update typically timed with the back-to-school season, Comcast said Internet Essentials, the operator’s service for low-income families, has connected more than 4 million Americans, and about 1 million homes.

Internet Essentials, originally a voluntary commitment stemmed to Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal and now entering its seventh year, provides high-speed Internet service   to those who qualify for $9.95 per month, plus subsidized computer equipment (less than $150 each) and free Internet training.

That’s up from 750,000 families or 3 million homes from last year’s update on the program.

Comcast also unveiled a set of enhancements for Internet Essentials, starting with a speed boost of up to 15 Mbps downstream and 2 Mbps upstream, up from previous speeds of 10 Mbps/1 Mbps. Comcast said it marked the fourth time in six years it has increased speeds for the program, and that the latest increase will help to support video streaming applications and provide enough headroom for multiple devices connected in the home.

Among other additions, Internet Essential customers will get 40 hours of free out-of-home WiFi access per month to Comcast’s footprint of 17 million hotspots. It’s also expanding its pilot program for low-income senior citizens – from five cities and metro areas, to 12.

RELATED: Comcast Launches ‘Internet Essentials’ Pilot for Seniors in Boston

Comcast also announced that Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the six-time Olympic medalist, has signed on for a second year as Internet Essentials’ national spokesperson.  Adamari López, host of Telemundo’s Un Nuevo Día, is also coming on board as the program’s first national Hispanic spokesperson.

“Hispanics appreciate the value of the Internet because it is a connection to their families and their culture,” López said in a statement. “They also value it because of what it means for education and employment opportunities. I look forward to helping to connect even more Spanish-speakers to the amazing resources this program offers.”

Comcast said 55% of Internet Essentials customers are Hispanic.  

David Cohen, senior EVP and chief diversity officer at Comcast, will make the announcement today in Miami, where he’ll be joined by Joyner-Kersee and introduce López to the program. They are kicking off a multi-city tour, which will run through October, Comcast said.

Comcast said it has invested nearly $350 million in cash and in-kind support to fund digital literacy initiatives nationally, and that it has dedicated more than $1.8 million in grants to create Internet Essentials Learning Zones.

Among other updated stats, Comcast said it has broadcast 10 million public service announcements tied to the program (worth nearly $120 million), has provided more than 65,000 subsidized computers, and has distributed nearly 55 million pieces of Internet Essentials program material. The operator has also fielded more than 5.6 million phone calls to its Internet Essentials call center, and has offered Internet Essentials in more than 55,000 schools in more than 5,000 school districts in 39 states and the District of Columbia.

Speaking on a reporter call on Monday, Cohen said that during the first six months of 2017, Comcast has seen more new connections for the program than any six-month period in the history of Internet Essentials.

“The benefits of the program are real and tangible,” he said.

Cohen also cited an American community survey that found that 56% of households earning less than $35,000 a year have broadband service at home, versus 92% of homes that earn more than $75,000 per year.

"That disparity, in a nutshell, is called the digital divide, and it has a negative impact on the scholastic achievement of children from low income families,” he said. “It limits the job prospects and workforce-readiness of the entire household -- young people and parents alike." 

“Anyone who knows me knows that I love taking on big challenges,” Joyner-Kersee said. “And the digital divide is really a big challenge.”  

Comcast said the top five states for Internet Essentials are California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas. The top five cities are Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Miami and Fresno.