Families not already connected to the Internet at home are encouraged to enroll so students can participate in the district’s remote learning programs
August 5, 2020 – Freeport School District 145 (FSD145) and Comcast have announced a partnership to provide Internet service at home to Freeport families with children enrolled in district schools. The agreement is designed to help students participate in the district’s remote learning opportunities.
Under the agreement, FSD145 will purchase 12 months of Comcast’s Internet Essentials service on behalf of eligible Freeport households that enroll by Dec. 31, 2020.
“We are excited to partner with Comcast and provide this opportunity for our students,” said FSD145 Superintendent Dr. Anna Alvarado. “We are taking a proactive approach to further our mission of providing an inclusive, student-centered learning environment, whether it be in school or at home. Providing internet access in the homes of students who currently do not have internet service eliminates a barrier that some families faced in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we prepare for our “new normal” in education, we believe that internet access at home is essential to student success and leaving no student behind. With the District providing laptop availability to all students this opportunity to provide internet access is a great partnership.”
“I appreciate the partnership between Comcast and the Freeport School District to bring additional learning opportunities to the students of Freeport,” added Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller.
“Internet Essentials has helped millions of Americans gain access to the Internet at home since it launched nine years ago,” said Matthew Summy, Comcast’s Regional Vice President of External Affairs. “We are honored to work with FSD145 to remove barriers to in-home Internet adoption.”
Since 2011, more than 220,000 Illinois households – and more than 2 million nationwide – have been connected to the Internet at home through Comcast’s Internet Essentials program. Some 90 percent were not connected until they enrolled in the program.
Internet Essentials provides Internet Service at home to eligible low-income households for $9.95 a month plus applicable taxes and fees. Internet Essentials has an integrated, wrap-around design that addresses each of the three major barriers to broadband adoption that research has identified, including:
- A lack of digital literacy skills;
- A lack of awareness of the relevance of the Internet to everyday life;
- Fear of the Internet;
- The lack of a computer; and
- The cost of Internet service.
The program is structured as a partnership between Comcast and tens of thousands of school districts, libraries, elected officials and nonprofit community partners.
For further information or eligibility, please call the Freeport School District Technology Department at (815) 232-0569.
About Freeport School District 145
With 10 schools and a staff of 725, each day FSD145 serves approximately 4,100 students in Freeport, IL, and nearby communities.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA) is a global media and technology company with three primary businesses: Comcast Cable, NBCUniversal, and Sky. Comcast Cable is one of the United States’ 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 is global and 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. Sky is one of Europe’s leading media and entertainment companies, connecting customers to a broad range of video content through its pay television services. It also provides communications services, including residential high-speed internet, phone, and wireless services. Sky operates the Sky News broadcast network and sports and entertainment networks, produces original content, and has exclusive content rights. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com for more information.
