Comcast is deeply committed to creating and supporting digital equity within the communities we serve – including those across western, central, and northeastern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia, and the Maryland panhandle – during Digital Inclusion Week (October 7-12) and all year long.
We work to bridge the digital divide through Project UP, which includes programs and community partnerships that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators.
This initiative includes programs like Internet Essentials, Lift Zones and Digital Navigators. Since its inception in 2011, Comcast’s Internet Essentials has connected more than 2 million low-income Pennsylvania residents to broadband service at home. Additionally, we have launched more than 1,250 Lift Zones in community centers nationwide, with 176 locations in Pennsylvania alone, to provide students and families with free, high-speed WiFi and digital skills training. And, we work to expand the network of Digital Navigators – individuals who are trained to help get more people connected – across the country to help close the digital divide.
Partnering For a More Equitable Future
In addition to these programs, we support partners across the Keystone Region in their efforts to reach individuals and communities with the information they need to excel in our increasingly digital world. This week marks the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s ‘Digital Inclusion Week’ and its theme – “Stronger Together” – highlights that partnership is an important path to achieving digital equity. Here are some of the organizations we’ve worked with this year helping to advance digital adoption and literacy in Keystone.
The Whitaker Center – Dauphin County
The Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts is a Comcast Lift Zone in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania offering children and schools a unique experience in education and entertainment. In July 2024, Comcast awarded the organization a $35,000 grant to help fund the Whitaker Center’s “Girls in STEM” initiative that will continue providing skill-building STEM and digital literacy activities for local girls in grades four through 12, including “Girls in STEM Sundays,” summer camps, virtual and in-person Girl Scout Badge workshops, and career exploration days. The Whitaker Center will also offer lessons on coding and digital visual software, ethical use of digital resources, digital communications, and online identity protection.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania – Lackawanna County
Comcast works with chapters of the Boys & Girls Clubs across the country and began local support of the Boys & Girls Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania more than 15 years ago. In September 2024, Comcast awarded the Boys & Girls Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania a $25,000 grant to support its commitment to digital literacy education as part of the MyFuture program, where Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeastern Pennsylvania is connecting local youth to educational and engaging digital literacy, leadership, and STEM training modules available online.
Expanding Broadband to Underserved Communities
We also continue to expand our fast, reliable and secure Xfinity network to connect more homes and businesses to the power of the Internet. For instance, expansion is occurring in Blair, Carbon, Luzerne and Schuylkill Counties, as well as South Heidelberg Township in Pennsylvania. Other projects are underway and more are to come from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s recent selection of Comcast to expand its network across 158 municipalities.
In any area that Xfinity service is available, eligible customers have access to Internet Essentials and Internet Essentials Plus.
During Digital Inclusion Week and every week, Comcast and our partners are working hard to bridge the digital divide for good!
