BALTIMORE, Nov. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Comcast's Internet Essentials program announced
today a major workforce development initiative in Baltimore City that includes $200,000 in grants. In addition, the company
began distributing 3,000 new laptops to multiple organizations
across the city focused on education, workforce development and
digital equity, including:
- Mayor's Office of Employment Development
- Community College of Baltimore
County
- Baltimore City Community
College
- Baltimore's Promise
- Catholic Charities of Baltimore
- Center for Urban Families
- Grassrootz (Gro-Charity)
- Liberty Village Project
- Digital Harbor High School
On November 11, 2021, the
Community College of Baltimore County
(CCBC) was the first partner to announce its $30,000 workforce development grant and a
donation of laptops from Comcast. The grant will help students who
lack resources through the college's Student Emergency Aid Fund
while the laptops will go to students enrolled in CCBC certificate
and adult literacy education programs. CCBC serves 50,000 students
of which more than half are continuing education, adult learners.
CCBC will also be helping to drive awareness of the federal
Emergency Broadband Benefit to enrolled students, allowing
eligible students to receive free or steeply discounted Internet
service at home.
"With free and low-cost Internet available to every Baltimorean,
we need to collectively focus on driving broadband adoption by
ensuring everyone has the know-how and tools to get online," said
Michael Parker, senior vice
president for Comcast's Beltway Region. "Education at every level
is critical and our workforce development grants and laptop
donations will help ensure that adults entering the workforce have
the tools, skills and confidence to find employment and
succeed."
Research shows that low-income students and their families
face numerous broadband adoption challenges, including housing
insecurity, literacy challenges, language barriers, and lack of
digital skills training. As a result, Comcast's digital equity
efforts have been designed to address as many of these challenges
as possible, including offering low-cost broadband Internet at
home; the option to purchase a heavily subsidized, affordable
computer; access to free WiFi in community centers nationwide; and
numerous options to acquire the digital skills necessary to
navigate distance learning and use the Internet.
Project UP & Comcast's $1
Billion Commitment to Advancing Digital Equity
For
over a decade, connecting more people to the Internet and the
technology they need to participate and excel in an increasingly
digital world has been a core focus for Comcast. Looking toward the
next ten years, the company is building on that foundation and
expanding its impact through Project UP, a comprehensive initiative
to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited
possibilities. Backed by a $1 billion
commitment to reach 50 million people, Project UP encompasses the
programs and community partnerships across Comcast, NBCUniversal,
and Sky that connect people to the Internet, advance economic
mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators,
entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators. For more information on
Project UP and the latest news on efforts to address digital
inequities, including the recent expansion of the Comcast RISE
Investment Fund to provide millions in grants to small
business owners of color and investment in research to
increase diversity in the technology and digital fields,
visit https://corporate.comcast.com/impact/project-up.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq:
CMCSA) is a global media and technology company that connects
people to moments that matter. We are principally focused on
broadband, aggregation, and streaming with 57 million customer
relationships across the United
States and Europe. We
deliver broadband, wireless, and video through our Xfinity, Comcast
Business, and Sky brands; create, distribute, and stream leading
entertainment, sports, and news through Universal Filmed
Entertainment Group, Universal Studio Group, Sky Studios, the NBC
and Telemundo broadcast networks, multiple cable networks, Peacock,
NBCUniversal News Group, NBC Sports, Sky News, and Sky Sports; and
provide memorable experiences at Universal Parks and Resorts in
the United States and Asia.
Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for
more information.
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SOURCE Comcast NBCUniversal