In today’s digital age, technology is the primary conduit to economic opportunity, and it is vital to how we work, play, learn, and connect with one another. The ability to access technology from home is especially important — and is something that has always been core to who we are as a company.

At Comcast NBCUniversal, we understand how transformational connectivity can be for individuals and families, and COVID-19 has underscored the value of a broadband connection. As millions of people practice social distancing and shelter in place, they have turned to the internet to find news about the virus, continue school online, work remotely, access healthcare information, and more. The abrupt transition has shined a spotlight on the digital divide, which is an issue we have been focused on for nearly a decade. Since 2011, our Internet Essentials program has connected more than 8 million people from households in low-income neighborhoods, many for the very first time.

一旦很明显，待在家里的社会疏远对于减慢Covid-19的蔓延至关重要，我们立即做出了回应，为任何新的Internet Essential Essentials客户提供两个月的免费互联网服务。此外，我们与常识媒体合作广泛的开放学校旨在推广可汗学院，国家地理，Noggin，PBS，Scholastic，Sesame Workshop等免费教育内容的倡议，因此学生可以在家中继续学习。

“These last few extraordinary months have reinforced just how valuable home internet access is for every American,” says Karima Zedan, Vice President, Internet Essentials, Community Engagement and Impact. “We believe that having an internet connection at home is transformative and leads to inclusion, and inclusion is at the heart of the social change we seek with the Internet Essentials program.”

Since the launch of Internet Essentials in 2011, the goal of the program has been to help level the playing field and give as many people as possible the opportunity to succeed. When we started, we focused on reducing the digital divide’s impact on the “homework gap,” which is the inability of students from low-income households to access online educational resources from home due to a lack of internet service. Over the years, we have worked with hundreds of nonprofit partners to expand the program to help connect seniors, community college students, families receiving public housing assistance, and veterans, among others.

2019年，我们宣布了有史以来最大的互联网必需品计划扩展，其中包括所有合格的低收入家庭，包括残疾人。While the program’s overall success has been impressive, we’ve seen the real impact of this investment in the stories we hear from individuals: More students are able to do their homework, apply for scholarships and colleges, and learn new digital technologies like coding, while adults have accessed healthcare information, stayed connected to family and friends across town and around the world, looked and applied for new jobs, and pursued their own dreams to be entrepreneurs — all from the safety of their own homes.

Over the last decade, we have helped people move across the digital inclusion continuum: from increasing technology access, to developing skills, to ultimately leveraging those skills for economic mobility. We have focused in particular on creating opportunities for groups often underrepresented in tech — including girls, people of color, and people with disabilities, among others — to develop tech skills and expand their horizons.

“技术可以是一个很好的均衡器，但我们知道，要为技术真正增强能力，个人和机构需要获得优质的培训和资源来提高他们的技能和整体数字水平，”社区高级副总裁达利拉·威尔逊·斯科特（Dalila Wilson-Scott）说188bet网址怎么打不开Comcast Corporation的影响和Comcast NBCuniversal基金会的总裁。“这就是为什么迄今为止我们投资超过6.5亿美元用于数字扫盲培训和意识的原因 - 这就是为什么鉴于大流行，我们将继续为社区投资数字计划。”

在确认我们长期以来的信念，同时还了解如何最好地支持由Covid-19影响最立即影响社区的社区，我们知道，在必要时保持灵活性和响应能力，以帮助我们的合作伙伴在必要时进行互动并使用技术以更好serve their clients’ needs.

辅助技术和有针对性的技术教练一直是我们在追求独立途径的身体和发育障碍的人的核心。我们继续支持小组和一对一的教练The Arcaffiliates across the country, and we are identifying thoughtful technology upgrades that will help the organization provide personalized service and reach more clients remotely. For伊斯特莱斯，我们资助了一项计划，该计划将有助于数字化他们的培训资源，并扩大他们实际上认证服务合作伙伴的能力。这将有助于扩大符合《美国残疾人法案》的地点数量，并具有适当的装备和培训以满足运输需求。

Many of our partners are still managing through these challenging times and becoming much more dependent on various forms of technology for connecting with clients, donors, and the broader community. In light of this, Comcast hosted a podcast training exclusively for nonprofits and led by our very ownLIFT Labsgraduate, Molly Beck, founder of Messy.FM. Since then, we have learned that nonprofits are taking advantage of the podcast subscription to better connect with their key stakeholders, including staff and clients. Finding different ways to authentically connect with audiences will be an essential skill in this pandemic.

We know that many families are struggling and that the economic impacts of the pandemic will be lasting and profound, particularly for marginalized communities. We remain committed to helping connect as many people as possible to the power of the internet and enabling them to participate, and succeed, in our digital world.