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Comcast to Regulators: Have you Noticed We Really Love the Poor?

To get their acquisition of NBC approved by regulators, Comcast proposed a merger condition requiring they provide $10, 1.5 Mbps broadband to all of the homes that qualify for the National School Lunch Program. This "Internet Essentials" program has seen significant criticism (and even protests) over the years for being a political show pony that in reality was intentionally hard to qualify for.

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With the company trying to gain regulatory approval of their acquisition of Time Warner Cable, Comcast has recently been placing more attention on the Essentials program, and adjusting it on the fly -- both to seriously address criticism -- but also to ensure Comcast's generosity remains consistently in the press, politician and public eye.

Back in August announced that they were offering users who hadn't qualified for the program yet six months of free broadband. Comcast also offered an "amnesty program" for low-income users with past-due balances, something that unsurprisingly disqualified a large number of potential applicants.

As the company's merger review heats up, Comcast today announced that the company has extended their amnesty program, set to expire Saturday, another ten days.

"It has the unique ability to level the playing field, so that no matter what zip code children live in, no matter how much money their parents make or the color of their skin, they can use this potentially life-changing technology to do better in school, go to college, and get a good paying job," insists Comcast's top lobbyist David Cohen.

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TAZ
join:2014-01-03
Tucson, AZ

3 recommendations

TAZ

Member

Indeed

Comcast loves the poor, that's why they're trying to make more of them. :P