Tony Dungy, former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts and current NFL TV commentator, stopped by KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh to talk a little bit about football and a lot about Comcast’s Internet Essentials. In this interview, he tells Pittsburgh Today Live how students from low-income families can get cheap internet access.
As always, the Coach was charming and articulate and had all the right answers. Internet Essentials couldn’t ask for a better spokesman.
Interviewer: Let’s talk about this program from Comcast. Why did you want to be involved with this program.
Tony: I heard about this for three years now its been going. Internet Essentials basically provides internet for low-income families. If you have a child who’s eligible for free or reduced lunch, you can get internet in your home for $10 per month, no strings attached. But not that many people know about it. Last year at this time we had a thousand families in the Pittsburgh area signed up. Now we’re up to two thousand. But still we’re not touching the majority of people, so Comcast asked me, “Can you help us get the word out?” I said I would love to because it’s so needed. This is internet in the home, not just for games or streaming football…
Interviewer: (laughs)
Tony: … but for research, for homework, all those educational things that are needed.
Interviewer: I was surprised because I guess I take for granted that I have internet access at home and a computer, but a lot of people — 15% of American adults don’t use the internet at all and 30% use it but they don’t use it at home.
Tony: Right. We take it for granted. My kids do all their homework now. They say, hey, I forgot my assignment but I can email the teacher and get that information. But if you’re a low income family you say, “$100 per month, I don’t know if it fits in and you think it’s a luxury, but it’s going to be necessary for our kids in the future. Just even in terms of applying for jobs, applying to colleges. All of that is done over the internet now. So learning how to do it, learning what it’s all about is important. So I think it’s great of Comcast to get this out there for everyone.
Interviewer: So who is it for? Who is eligible?
Tony: Any family with a child who qualifies for free or reduced lunches in school, you qualify. If that’s the case, all you have to do is go to InternetEssentials.com and get all the information. Ten dollars a month will get it right into your home.
Interviewer: It sounds too good to be true.
Tony: A lot of people think so.
Interviewer: No sign up costs or initiation fees?
Tony: No contract, no installation fee. And you’re eligible to buy a computer, a laptop, for $150.
Interviewer: Oh, my. A lot of these people probably don’t have a computer either.
Tony: Right, right. That’s what we’re kind of fighting to get the word out. People say it’s too good to be true. There must be some fine print. There is none. And we just want to help people understand that.
Interviewer: That is amazing. So remind me again. You were talking about some of the things kids use the computers for. If they don’t have one they can really fall behind in school.
Tony: No, you really can. The fact is they’ll be competing with students who have that benefit. So if you’re doing a project in school, and rather than going to the library and using an encyclopedia that might be four or five years old, you get right on the internet. You can research all your projects. And that’s the way of the future. They’re going to have to learn how to do that and so not having the income to have that at home puts people at a disadvantage.
Thanks, Coach Dungy. Keep spreading the word because America’s economically-disadvantaged need to find out more about Internet Essentials and similar programs.
Source: CBS Pittsburgh
gimmeabreak says
so the only way to get reduced rate internet is to get preggo? wtf? why are poor people being rewarded for having kids they cant afford? i dont have any kids because, guess what, I CANT AFFORD IT. i guess they think poor students, elderly, and disabled adults without kids dont need cheap internet. what a joke.