Comcast partners with city to expand its low-cost internet program

Comcast was in Pleasant View Gardens on Thursday, seeking to sign up residents of the public housing complex to its lower-cost internet service.
For customers who signed up at the event, Comcast was offering access to its Internet Essentials service for free for the next six months. The comms giant is offering the free half-year service to anyone who signs up during October. It’s offered to residents who have at least one child who is eligible for the National School Lunch Program or receive HUD housing assistance.
“This innovative partnership, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HABC and my Office of Information Technology will open new opportunity in these neighborhoods, connecting these residents with first-class services, technical training, and countless other resources,” Mayor Catherine Pugh said in a statement.
Comcast said earlier this year that more than 8,500 households in Baltimore utilize the service. The company made the service available to families with children in 2015, and opened it up to all residents receiving federal housing assistance last year. The company said it also increased internet speeds in August.