In March 2014, as he met with FCC concerning the Time Warner Cable merger, Comcast vice president David Cohen told reporters that the internet essentials program will be extended indefinitely. Comcast has stated that the program will accept new customers for a total of three years.
A similar program is available from other internet providers through the non-profit. Of an estimated 2.60 million households eligible for the program, about 220,000 households participate in the program as of June 2013. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) required this budget service as a condition for allowing Comcast's acquisition of NBCUniversal in January 2011.
In 2011, Comcast launched its "Internet Essentials" program, which offers low-cost internet service to families with children who qualify for free or reduced price school lunches. Comcast charges $20 for internet installation, but the fee is waived for customers who opt to install themselves. This fee has been seen by some as unfair, but is waived for customers who buy their own modems. Īlong with the price of internet subscriptions, Comcast charges users an additional $14.00/month to rent a cable modem. When the combined company filed for bankruptcy in 2002, Comcast moved their roughly 950,000 internet customers completely onto their own network. The agreement continued after merger with Excite. Ĭomcast began offering internet services in late 1996, when it helped found the Network, which sold internet service through Comcast's cable lines. As of July 26, 2018, Comcast has 26.5 million high-speed internet customers. Percentage of State's Population With Access to Comcast Ĭomcast is the largest provider of cable internet access in the United States, servicing 40% of the market in 2011. Comcast availability map by ZIP Code State