Last Tuesday, Comcast announced a series of programs aimed to assist low-income students and families gain access to technological resources in order to bridge the digital divide.
Faith-based, non-profit and local school leaders attended the press conference along with community members and Comcast representatives at the Cicero Community Center, located at 2250 S. 49th Ave.
The Internet Essentials program helps needy families with broadband services by offering them a low-cost option of $10 a month, acting as one of Comcast’s community-driven initiatives that launched back in 2011.
At the conference Comcast Vice President of Public Relations for the Greater Chicago Region Jack Segal announced an extended deadline to enroll into the program and encouraged Cicero and Berwyn residents to take advantage of this cost-efficient opportunity.
Segal honored Cicero for the 1800 families participating in Internet Essentials.
“Cicero has a lot to be proud of. Everybody works together to get the word out and sign up in the program,” Segal said.
Segal also announced the newly established Gold Medal Recognition program for communities across the country who have accomplished high enrollment rates into Comcast’s Internet Essentials program. These communities will be awarded $25,000 in grants to local non-profit organizations based in Cicero and Berwyn.
Non-profits supporting Comcast’s new initiatives at the press conference include The Assistant Director Edgar Montiel of The Boys and Girls Club of Cicero, Executive Director Corazon Community Services Mary Johnson, and the Children’s Center of Cicero-Berwyn’s Communication Specialist Sandra Kokenes.
The Superintendent of the Cicero School District 99 Donna Adamic also pledged her support.
“It isn’t wishful thinking that our families, every family, every student in Berwyn and Cicero really need to have internet access,” Adamic said. “Today is a good example of that. The community coming together in a project to help connect our families.”
In addition to awarding communities nationwide a Gold Medal distinction, Comcast also announced the establishment of Internet Essentials Learning Zones that will include increased public access to the internet for non-profits such as the Boys Club of Chicago, Corazon and the Children’s Center of Cicero-Berwyn.
Such internet availability will allow these non profits’ computer programs to thrive along with Comcast-sponsored digital literacy training programs and community events. In addition to the establishment of Cicero-Berwyn, Chicago’s neighborhoods of Bronzeville, Englewood/West Englewood, and North Lawndale are also learning zones.
Families interested in enrolling into the Internet Essentials program may qualify for six months of complimentary service if they submit an application for the program by Tuesday, March 18.
For more information on the program, go to www.internetessentials.com or call 1-855-846-8376 in English or 1-855-765-6995 in Spanish.
