Digital Literacy Enhances Education & Income

In Maryland, 91.6% of families have a computer in their homes, 83.4% live in a household with high-speed internet use. Marylanders and people around the world rely on the internet to search for jobs, complete homework assignments, pay bills, register for medical insurance and make travel arrangements. And others use it as their primary source of communication. In a technologically advanced age, it is vital to enhance tech skills and remain in-the-know.

There are key barriers that prevent people from accessing the internet. Those obstacles include, understanding the value of the service, cost of the computer equipment and the cost of the service to connect to the internet. Now Internet Essentials (www.internetessentials.com) by Comcast has designed a way to eliminate those barriers.

Baltimore County resident Henrieta Tambi is the breadwinner in her home. As a mother of four children, the Cameroon native learned about the service and benefits of Internet Essentials from a neighbor. “I am so happy that I followed through with the information that my neighbor shared with me,” she said. Tambi has more than 10 years of nursing experience. She continues to stay knowledgeable and current through a variety of online and personal resources. “I’m saving money and my children are able to do their research projects from the comforts of home.”

Internet Essentials has met the need of more than 500,000 families by providing a way for them to have access in their homes. In addition, as of October 2015, Comcast launched two trial programs, expanding Internet Essentials to eligible seniors and community college students in limited markets. At a fraction of the cost, families with school-age children who are part of the National School Lunch Program can gain access to high-speed internet and enhance their digital literacy. Eligible participants will receive an invoice of $9.95, a month, plus tax.

Prior to having Internet Essentials, Tambi subscribed to another service where she paid four times as much.

According to a report by the International Telecommunication Union, the number of internet users worldwide increased from 738 million in 2000 to 3.2 billion in 2015. While the numbers are striking, there are still many people who are without access to a computer or high-speed internet in their homes, due to economic barriers.

The assessment indicates 82.1% of the population in Europe has internet access and Asia Pacific comes in at 39%. There are only 10.7% of households in Africa that have internet access. The digital disparity is lucid. Nevertheless, the digital literacy rate is increasing.

For more information about Comcast Internet Essentials, call 1-855-846-8376 or log onto www.internetessentials.com.