Comcast and a government program provide free Internet service to low-income people. But enrolling in the program can be more complicated than it should be. This is because of uncertainty in Comcast’s customer care department.
Tonia Williams is a resident of Massachusetts. She is eligible for Comcast’s Internet Essentials Plus, a $30 monthly service for low-income people. The service is effectively free when combined with the ACP discount. Moreover, the US government’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) offers $30 monthly discounts. She attempted to use the ACP discount with Comcast’s low-income service. But the company misinformed and informed her that she was ineligible because she was already a customer.
Williams, a CNA who was unemployed when she spoke with Ars, eventually succeeded in getting her family’s home Internet service for free. However, she encountered several difficulties, too. She claimed that she would have given up if it weren’t for Falmouth resident David Isenberg, who has been assisting low-income residents in his community with the procedure. Williams had previously worked as a home health aide for Isenberg’s wife’s uncle, so Isenberg was acquainted with her.
Late in October, after assisting Williams and two other people in receiving the discount, Isenberg contacted Ars. Unfortunately, when they initially applied to enroll, all three were mistakenly informed that they didn’t qualify.
The issue stems from a Comcast policy. The policy prohibits customers from receiving Internet Essentials low-income service if they have previously subscribed to Comcast during the preceding 90 days. People eligible for the federal ACP program are not meant to be subject to that restriction or another one about outstanding bills.
Comcast provided affordable service to customers since 2011 through Internet Essentials
However, Isenberg claimed that when he initially assisted the first three persons. He said, “Comcast initially told these existing customers that existing customers do not qualify.”
Isenberg later assisted one man who erroneously refused to enroll, proving that not every candidate encounters the same issue. He also heard from another applicant who successfully entered the program.
However, some Comcast customer service representatives’ misunderstanding implies that the corporation hasn’t given all of its staff a thorough understanding of the guidelines for the low-income programs.
Although the government-funded monthly discount didn’t start until the epidemic, Comcast has provided affordable service to low-income customers since 2011 through Internet Essentials.
Comcast’s acquisition of NBCUniversal
The program was initially stipulated in the merger conditions imposed on Comcast’s acquisition of NBCUniversal. Despite the merger clause having expired in 2014, Comcast still provides Internet Essentials. Since 2011, according to Comcast, the program “has connected a cumulative total of more than 10 million Americans.”
Comcast also continues offering its $10/month Internet Essentials package. The package provides 50Mbps download and 10Mbps upload speeds. Users using Internet Essentials are not subject to Comcast’s data limits.
One of the 20 ISPs that earlier this year committed to offering $30 plans to Americans who qualify for the ACP was Comcast.
Williams previously met the requirements for the federal ACP discount and used it in combination with a $75 Comcast plan; as a result, her monthly bill was approximately $45 once the discount was applied. However, she called Comcast in the middle of October to switch to that plan after realizing that she could use the ACP with the $30 Internet Essentials Plus to eliminate her payment.
Williams switched the phone on speaker so Isenberg could hear. A Comcast customer service representative informed Williams that she was ineligible for Internet Essentials Plus. Moreover, she would need to cancel her Internet service for 90 days before reapplying.
