Earlier this year the cable TV and Internet ISP Comcast completed its merger deal with NBC Universal. While some have complained that the merger created a massive media conglomerate that will limit the amount of programming to consumers there is at least one nice thing that came out of the merger. Some households will gain access to a broadband Internet service that previously couldn"t afford to pay for it.
DSLReports.com reports that as a part of the agreement for the NBC Universal merger, Comcast will provide households who make less than $20,000 a year access to broadband Internet service for just $10 a month. That amount of money will give those households access to a 1.5 Mbps download speed and a 384 Kbps upload speed. Normally people would pay $25 a month to Comcast for that kind of service.
The deal, which Comcast actually volunteered to offer as part of the merger agreement, will launch later this fall in the areas of the US where Comcast offers its Internet service. The company said that if a household is under the National School Lunch Program it will qualify for the $10 a month broadband Internet service. Comcast will also give those household access to training and a way to purchase a new PC for just $150. The program is scheduled to run for at least three years, according to Comcast.
Giving access to broadband Internet for more US citizens has been a goal of the federal government. A recent study by the FCC announced that the US ranks 12th out of 33 countries with households that have broadband Internet connections.