Comcast’s Internet Essentials Program Joins Forces with Conference of Western Attorneys General to Promote Internet Safety ...
May 16 2018 - 12:30PM
Business Wire
Initiative Will Develop Best-in-Class Toolkit
for Law Enforcement Officials and Provide Significant Investments
in Cybersecurity Training Classes, Public Service Announcements,
and Tens of Thousands of Online Safety Brochures
Program Partners Include Nationally Recognized
Groups ConnectSafely.org, Family Online Safety Institute, Common
Sense Media, and Older Adults Technology Services (OATS)
In a wide-ranging effort to promote online safety for Internet
users around the country, Comcast today announced a comprehensive
campaign between Internet Essentials, the nation’s largest and most
successful high-speed Internet adoption initiative for low-income
households, and members of the Conference of Western Attorneys
General to address some of the most serious challenges seniors,
parents, and children face online.
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the full release here:
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Building on an effort Comcast began last
year with Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the company
today announced a campaign between Internet Essentials, the
nation’s largest high-speed Internet adoption initiative for
low-income households, and members of the Conference of Western
Attorneys General to promote online safety for seniors, parents,
and children. (Photo: Business Wire)
As of August 2017, the Internet Essentials program has connected
more than four million low-income Americans in one million
households to the Internet at home, most for the first time. In
Arizona and New Mexico, the company will partner with both State
Attorneys General to raise awareness about online safety. The
expanded initiative builds off an effort the company began last
year with Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
The action comes on the heels of recent announcements from the
Federal Trade Commission that estimate scammers extracted nearly $1
billion from Americans last year alone. More than $240 million of
that total occurred either online or via email. FTC data also shows
that younger people reported losing money to fraud more often than
older people, with 40% of adults between the ages of 20-29 who
filed FTC complaints reporting losing money to fraud, compared to
18 percent of adults age 70 and older.
“We welcome the opportunity to combine our Internet Essentials
program with Attorneys General across the nation to provide
low-income seniors, parents, and children with the tools and
knowledge they need to be safe online,” said David L. Cohen,
Comcast Corporation’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief
Diversity Officer. “This is an issue that cuts across party lines.
There is a universal desire on the part of law enforcement
officials to protect Americans from the potential risks of being
online. We also want to address the fear, which is the number one
barrier to broadband adoption, that prevents some seniors and
families from connecting to the Internet’s life-changing
resources.”
“Attorneys General across state and party lines are responsible
for protecting citizens from online scams and other predatory
behavior,” said Derek Schmidt, Kansas Attorney General and
president of the National Association of Attorneys General. “I
commend Comcast for their work to protect seniors online by
providing these educational materials to our members. This is a
true example of a public-private partnership that benefits all of
the members of our communities.”
“Older adults are often vulnerable to exploitation by those who
prey on the goodness, financial insecurity, or trusting nature of
seniors,” said Mark Brnovich, Arizona Attorney General and Chair of
the Conference of Western Attorneys General. “My office is
dedicated to protecting Arizona seniors from abuse and
exploitation. I’m proud to work with Comcast and their Internet
Essentials program to help arm our seniors and parents with the
tools they need to safely take advantage of all the Internet has to
offer.”
In a first-ever effort of its kind, with the support of a grant
from Comcast, the nonprofit Connectsafely.org will develop a
multimedia Internet safety toolkit for use by Attorneys General
across the country. The materials will contain up-to-date materials
to meet the specific needs and concerns of seniors, parents with
school-aged children, and students. Comcast also will print and
distribute copies of these materials and share them on its Internet
Essentials Learning
Portal, www.InternetEssentials.com/Safety.
In addition, Comcast announced it was providing support to
several national nonprofits that specialize in Internet safety
education and research including:
- Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) –
The organization, which works to make the online world safer for
kids and their families, will conduct research into how
generational perceptions of online safety impact home Internet
adoption among low-income populations. The goal is to provide
additional insights into what kinds of barriers exist and how they
can be addressed. Additionally, Comcast will be leveraging FOSI’s
Good Digital Parenting Toolkit for use in schools and community
organizations to provide tips and tools for parents raising
digitally-native children.
- Common Sense Media – The national
nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids thrive in a world
of media and technology will produce custom printed resources in
support of these events, offering robust online safety advice and
guidance around digital well-being for parents and teens. Common
Sense Media's nationally recognized, expert video content with tips
on Internet safety and digital literacy will also be featured on
Comcast's Internet Essentials Learning Portal on
www.InternetEssentials.com.
- Older Adults Technology Services (OATS)
– The New York-based social impact organization will develop a
customized senior-specific digital literacy curriculum,
incorporating online safety lessons, which will be made available
to nonprofit partners to use in their local communities.
This integrated approach is part of the core design of the
Internet Essentials program to address each of the three major
barriers to broadband adoption – digital literacy, access to
computer equipment, and affordable Internet service. The program is
also structured as a partnership between Comcast and thousands of
school districts, libraries, elected officials, and nonprofit
community partners, to address this complex set of broadband
adoption issues. In addition, in twelve cities nationwide, Comcast
has launched a pilot program that enables eligible seniors to
access low-cost Internet at home and receive free computer and
internet training, either online or in person from a network of
nonprofit partners.
About Internet Essentials
Internet Essentials from Comcast is the nation’s largest and
most comprehensive high-speed Internet adoption program for
low-income Americans. It provides low-cost high-speed Internet
service for $9.95 a month plus tax; the option to purchase an
Internet-ready computer for under $150; and multiple options to
access free digital literacy training in print, online and in
person. For more information, or to apply for the program, visit
www.InternetEssentials.com or call 1-855-846-8376. Spanish-only
speakers should call 1-855-765-6995.
About Comcast
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and
technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and
NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation’s largest video,
high-speed Internet, and phone providers to residential customers
under the XFINITY brand, and also provides these services to
businesses. It also provides wireless and security and automation
services to residential customers under the XFINITY brand.
NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable
networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television
production operations, television station groups, Universal
Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts. Visit
www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
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Comcast CorporationCharlie Douglas,
215-264-8020charlie_douglas@comcast.com
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