Lift Zones Will Provide Safe Spaces with Free Internet to Help Hundreds of Low-Income Students Participate in Distance Learning
STATE COLLEGE, PA – July 26, 2021 – As part of its ongoing commitment to help connect low-income families to the Internet so they can fully participate in educational opportunities and the digital economy, Comcast today announced plans to equip the Centre County Youth Service Bureau’s Stormbreak Girls Group Home and Burrowes Street Youth Haven in State College and the Bellefonte Youth Center as WiFi-connected “Lift Zones” this month. The robust WiFi coverage Comcast will provide at these centers is expected to help hundreds of low-income students get online, participate in distance learning and do their homework.
Lift Zone sites complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which, since 2011, has now connected more than 10 million people in America to broadband Internet at home, including approximately 2,800 people in Centre County.
Today’s announcement also comes on the heels of Comcast’s recent $1 billion commitment over the next 10 years to help further close the digital divide and give even more low-income students and families the tools and resources they need to succeed in a digital world.
“During the past school year, the youth we serve experienced the importance of high-speed internet for virtual learning,” said Youth Service Bureau (YSB) CEO Christine Bishop. “When Comcast connected with us to offer enhanced WiFi we were happy to partner with them to build the resources we’re able to offer the kids who attend our programs and are much better positioned for the coming school year.”
There are more than 70 Lift Zones already operational in Comcast’s Keystone Region, with more planned to announce soon. These Lift Zones will feature free WiFi provided by Comcast for the next three years, which will enable students, adults, veterans and seniors to successfully participate in distance learning, or remote work, do homework, or look for and apply for jobs.
“The COVID-19 crisis continues to put many low-income students at risk of being left behind, accelerating the need for comprehensive digital equity and Internet adoption programs to support them,” said Toni Murphy, Senior Vice President for Comcast’s Keystone Region. “We hope these Lift Zones will help those students who, for a variety of reasons, are unable to connect to effective distance learning at home.”
