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Why Comcast's $10 Internet Essential Plan Matters [Infographic]

How much do you pay each month to get online? Odds are you’re paying upwards of $100 for cable phone and Internet service. Even if you break it out by service, getting online with a high-speed connection is expensive.

This monthly expense puts the cost of a basic internet connection out of the price range for many low-income families. While there are cheap dial-up solutions, slow speeds restrict the ability to really use the Internet like you can on a fast connection, ultimately impacting the usefulness of the service.

Comcast, knows exactly how much it costs to get online, and is doing what it can to help low-income families get online at affordable rates. Families that live in a Comcast service area and qualify for free lunch programs at school are likely able to qualify for the new $9.95 a month Internet access plan.

To qualify for the new Internet Essentials plan ( Spanish ), which Comcast hopes will help correct broadband disparity rates that hit African American and Hispanic families hardest, families need to have a student in grades K-12. Other qualifications include;

Comcast also includes a the ability to purchase a new computer for $150 and a computer literacy program available online, in print and in person.

In addition to keeping up with school work, having high speed internet access is a big deal that adds up to big savings every year. The Internet Innovation Alliance found that the being online adds up to about $8,000 a year in online savings. Don’t believe it? Check out the infographic below, that outlines where the savings occur.

Could you imagine getting school work and online shopping done on a dial-up connection these days? I’m not sure what the $150 computer looks like, but it’s probably much nicer than what you would buy for $150 outside of the program.

How much do you pay in monthly service fees to get connected? Would a program that provides a low-cost smartphone be as good as low-cost Internet access?

Josh is technology enthusiast who enjoys pushing new gadgets to their limits and helping the average user make informed choices about technology. Josh has had technology articles appear on WalletPop and MSNBC as well as coverage from CNN.

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While technology relentlessly marches forward, it’s important to remember that there are families across the United States who remain without internet service, or even a computer of any kind. As cable and fiber-optic technologies become more widespread, low-income families are left with few choices when it comes to getting online. Comcast hopes to change that by offering internet service for just $10 per month — as well as a discounted netbook computer — to families that qualify. The program is called Internet Essentials, and will be available in all Comcast service areas starting with the upcoming school year. In order to qualify for the Internet Essentials program, a family must reside within a Comcast service area, have a clean billing record with Comcast, have no current internet service, and have at least one child who receives free lunch through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). Comcast is using the NSLP requirement to ensure that only low-income families are able to take advantage of the Internet Essentials option.

The service provided by Internet Essentials includes connection rates of up to 1.5 Mbps download and 384k upload. Those speeds won’t break any kind of record, and wouldn’t be very useful for things like streaming movies or online gaming, but they should be more than enough for homework and other online school activities.

Other options Families outside of Comcast service areas still have options for cheap internet access. Dial-up service providers like NetZero remain the most cost-effective way to get online, with prices hovering around $10 per month. Unfortunately, dial-up speeds are drastically lower than cable and DSL options, and top out at around 56k per second for download.

AT&T offers reasonably-priced DSL service in many areas, often costing as little as $15 per month. These monthly plans can offer speeds of up to 3 Mbps, but degrade with distance, meaning your speed could be significantly slower. Both dial-up and DSL require phone lines to operate, so you’ll want to figure that into the overall cost as well.

No computer? No problem When initially signing up for the Internet Essentials program — which can be done online or over the phone — families without a computer can purchase a discounted netbook-style laptop for $149. The computer comes equipped with Windows 7, though details on specific brand names or models remain absent. Also, as part of Comcast’s internet service, Internet Essentials participants will also have access to free Norton anti-virus software, to ensure the PC is kept in top working order.

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