Jonathan Takiff: New plans bridge digital divide
THE GIZMO: Communications technology for all! THE GREAT DIVIDE: In his 1928 campaign, presidential candidate Herbert Hoover promised "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage." We know how that came out. Hoover was elected, but a year later came the Great Depression.
T
HE GIZMO
: Communications technology for all!
THE GREAT DIVIDE: In his 1928 campaign, presidential candidate Herbert Hoover promised "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage." We know how that came out. Hoover was elected, but a year later came the Great Depression.
In today's tough economy, some political visionaries talk about "crossing the digital divide," bringing America's most needy into the high-tech age. Every home should be wired to the Internet, it's argued, and every citizen should own a mobile phone - tools vital for kids to keep up on schoolwork, for job seekers to connect with employers.
Thanks to corporate largesse and federal funds, both the 'Net and mobile phones are within reach.
GETTING WISE TO THE WEB: Newly available wherever Comcast/Xfinity broadband service is available - including 99 percent of Philadelphia, much of Pennsylvania and 38 other states (plus Washington, D.C.) - Internet Essentials broadband service aims to give an educational boost to any family that has a child in the National School Lunch Program. Monthly IE broadband service is just $9.95 for as long as the child is in school.
Yes, Comcast agreed to this to win approval from the Obama-era Federal Communications Commission for its takeover of NBC/Universal. Still, let's give props to the company for making the process easy - you don't have to purchase any other Comcast service - and for executive vice president David L. Cohen's national barnstorming campaign to promote it.
DOING THE NUMBERS: Internet Essentials promises content delivery to a home computer at speeds "up to 1.5 Mbps" and to upload users' keystrokes at speeds "up to 384 Kbps." Those numbers are akin to what's found with basic Verizon DSL broadband service, which goes for about $20 a month. Comcast's (otherwise) cheapest, $42-a-month broadband offering boasts downloads "up to 12 Mbps."
Still, IE broadband should prove plenty fast enough for surfing the Web, listening to online music and maybe some partial-screen-video streaming.
BETTER YET: There's no cost for home wiring or for the (self-installed) modem/router that connects to the Web. Comcast normally tacks on $7 a month for that.
Need a computer? Internet Essentials customers can purchase a small, backpack-friendly, 10.1-inch color-screen Dell or Acer netbook for $149.95, about a $100 discount. The lightweight netbook has a Windows 7 basic operating system, a 160 GB hard drive and an almost full-size keyboard especially suited for small hands. There's no DVD drive on board, however, and Comcast sales reps couldn't say if the models have a three-cell (four-hour) or six-cell (eight-hour) rechargeable battery. The unit may be new or "reconditioned."
BUYER NOTES: A couple of factors could jinx the deal: if you've subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days, have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment.
Enroll at 1-855-846-8376 (for Spanish, 1-855-765-6995). Online details at www.internet
essentials.com (www.internet
basico.com for Spanish).
AS ADVERTISED ON TV: Assurance Wireless is not government-backed. It's one of the Sprint-Nextel group of mobile phone companies (as are Virgin Mobile and Boost), though clearly the most budget-conscious. Assurance offers a basic mobile phone plus 250 voice minutes a month for FREE, if you're qualified.
Assurance is government-supported. It receives about $10 a month per low-income subscriber from the federal Universal Service Fund, a pool filled by fund fees tacked onto every phone bill.
IS IT RIGHT FOR ME? To qualify for an Assurance phone account, you have to document participation in Medicaid, Food Stamps/SNAP, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplementary Security Income (SSI), General Assistance, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), or the National School Lunch Program's Free Lunch Program. Customers also qualify by income.
The basic, free offering includes voice mail and call waiting, caller ID and access to 911 emergency, but no out-of-town calls or texting. Do both for an additional 10 cents a minute/text, or with a monthly bundle: $5 for an additional 250 minutes; $20 for an extra 750 minutes and 1,000 texts. Call 'round the world at "competitive rates." Subscriber applications at 1-800-395-2171 or www.assurancewireless.com.