A former Comcast employee has come forward, alleging that the company’s “Internet Essentials” package, designed for low-income families, offers inadequate internet speeds. Since March 2020, families have adapted to remote learning, with parents stepping in as teachers and children reliant on online classes. This shift has highlighted the critical role of internet access, yet, according to former employee Jamie Carter, Comcast is exploiting this situation by providing low-income households with poor-quality internet options while pushing them to pay more for better service.
Carter recently gained attention on social media when he disclosed the truth about Comcast’s “Internet Essentials” program, which is marketed to families who qualify for other assistance such as food stamps. He tweeted, “I just left my job at Comcast. The Essentials program they offer for $9.95/month provides only 25 Mbps, which is typically insufficient for kids attending live online classes.”
This package targets families already receiving subsidized services, but Carter explained to Buzzfeed that he frequently received calls from frustrated families unable to connect to the internet effectively. The only solution he could offer was upgrading to a higher-tier plan, which many could not afford. “If the service was adequate, we wouldn’t have so many complaints,” he noted.
In a detailed account on Medium, Carter described the “Essentials” plan as “barely sufficient for one user,” emphasizing that for families with multiple devices and users, the internet speed falls short.
In Baltimore, a group of high school students, led by senior Maria Lopez, decided to take action. Maria and her sisters struggle to complete their schoolwork using the same router under the “Essentials” plan. She stated it can take “forever” to log into her Zoom classes, leading to significant disruptions in her education. “I miss class or join late, which makes it hard to stay focused. With only two hours per week for each subject, that time is crucial,” she explained.
In response, Maria and her peers formed a group called SOMOS (Students Organizing a Multicultural and Open Society) and wrote to Comcast demanding better internet access. They requested an increase in the download speed from 25 Mbps to 100 Mbps. Despite their efforts, including petitions and press events, Comcast initially dismissed their requests, claiming the Internet Essentials service was adequate.
However, on February 2, 2021, SOMOS announced a victory: after nearly a year of advocacy, Comcast committed to upgrading the Internet Essentials package to 50 Mbps starting March 1, 2021, without altering the monthly fee. While it doesn’t meet all of their demands, it marks a significant improvement thanks to the tireless efforts of Lopez and whistleblowers like Carter.
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Summary:
A former Comcast employee revealed that the company’s low-income “Internet Essentials” package offers inadequate speeds for families relying on remote learning. Despite initial resistance from Comcast, student advocacy led to an upgrade in service speeds, showcasing the importance of affordable internet access during the pandemic.
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