Comcast Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Comcast Philadelphia & New Jersey

  • About
  • Contact
  • Careers

Comcast Launches Three WiFi-Connected “Lift Zones” in Union County

8 months ago

Comcast today announced it has equipped two nonprofits (three locations total) in Union County with WiFi-connected “Lift Zones” as part of its ongoing commitment to help students and adults get online, participate in distance learning or remote work, do homework or look for and apply for jobs. Working with local centers, Comcast is providing a robust WiFi solution at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County’s Plainfield and Union clubhouses, as well as Second Street Youth Center, to help hundreds of people get online.

“The students and families we serve in Plainfield and Union were participating in virtual school because of the pandemic, and many did not have the connectivity they needed. Comcast equipping our centers as a Lift Zone gave us the bandwidth and speed we needed to house students during remote learning – providing them a safe place to complete assignments and connect with teachers,” said Russell Triolo, Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Union County. “The Lift Zone also enhanced our career tech program, allowing students to quickly and safely go on the Internet for career prep; it’s been used by family members to look for jobs and so much more.”

“Comcast truly came to our rescue during COVID-19,” said Leah Dade, Executive Director of Second Street Youth Center in Plainfield, NJ. “We knew our WiFi was going to be challenged when we started assisting students in this new virtual learning environment. Becoming a Comcast Lift Zone truly made our students’ virtual learning experience more effective; the high-speed Internet provided a stable connection for them to access their classes, and the additional, gifted headphones Comcast provided only elevated the experience and helped decrease distractions. But, it wasn’t just the Lift Zone, the two months of free Internet Essentials service Comcast provided to new customers was a lifeline to our students’ parents and families as well.”

In March, Comcast announced a $1 billion commitment over ten years in continued support of digital equity, including its Lift Zones initiative, which aims to install WiFi access inside 1,000+ community centers nationwide for students and adults by the end of 2021.

Lift Zones complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, which has helped connect a cumulative total of 10 million low-income people to the Internet at home since 2011, including approximately 10,000 in Union County. Working with its network of nonprofit partners, Comcast is providing free WiFi hotspot connectivity in community centers with access to hundreds of hours of digital skills content to help families and site coordinators navigate online learning. Comcast has already launched more than 100 Lift Zones across New Jersey and Greater Philadelphia.

“The pandemic has put many low-income families at risk of being left behind, and we’re proud to work with community partners to support them with Internet adoption and digital equity programs like this one,” said Jim Samaha, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Freedom Region. “We hope these Lift Zones help Union County families stay connected to vital resources.”

As students across the country head back to school, there has never been more support available to get low-income Americans, in urban and rural communities alike, connected to broadband. Between Lift Zones, Internet Essentials and the federal government’s assistance in the form of the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB), which provides a $50 subsidy for internet service, and the Emergency Connectivity Fund (ECF) which supports connectivity for schools and libraries, powerful tools are available to help finally close the digital divide.

Filed Under: Community Investment
Tagged With: 2021, Announcement, internet essentials, Lift Zones, New Jersey, September, Union County

Community Investment

Secondhand Clothes, Firsthand Experience: How Goodwill Is Transforming Adult Education in Philly and South Jersey

2 weeks ago

Our region faces a troubling education gap: While New Jersey boasts one of the nation’s highest percentages of PhDs (1.5%), about 10% of adults in the state … Read More...

Customer Experience

Comcast Expands High Speed Internet in Honey Brook Borough

4 days ago

Comcast announced the expansion of its smart, fast and reliable fiber-rich network throughout Honey Brook Borough, bringing its full suite of Xfinity and … Read More...

Comcast Business

Comcast RISE to Provide Additional $1 Million to Support Philadelphia Small Businesses

1 week ago

Since 2020, Comcast RISE has invested in the success of small businesses owned by people of color and women by providing valuable and practical support in the … Read More...

Events

A member of the armed forces holds an American flag.

A Veterans Day Special Salute – 200 American Flags Retired

3 years ago

Comcast is committed to supporting veterans and the broader military community – both inside the company and out. One example is our Veterans Network Employee … Read More...

Terms of Service. Privacy Policy. Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Copyright © 2022 Comcast Corporation. All rights reserved.

Comcast Logo

This site uses cookies to enable your digital experience. By continuing to use this site, you agree to the use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy.

I agree
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT