Teacher Franca Muller Paz transmits Zoom recordings of her Spanish language pupils to examiners as part of the elite International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum at Baltimore City College high school. There has been an issue this year because to the pandemic’s requirement for remote learning. It wasn’t a problem with the pupils’ abilities, but rather with their internet connections.
“Their internet would go out while they were presenting,” Muller Paz explained, “therefore there are faults in their formal IB presentations.” “It’s incredibly difficult for them to make sure that they can do the things that they need to do for these demanding classes, but they don’t have the internet speeds that they require to do so.”
Comcast’s Internet Essentials package is used by many of her students. Internet Essentials is a package of internet subscriptions for low-income households who are eligible for government assistance such as food stamps. It’s only $9.95 a month, but it used to have terribly sluggish internet connections. After protests at the outset of the pandemic, when studying and working from home became the norm for many, Comcast boosted it. Similar programmes are available from other internet service providers, such as AT&T, although Comcast has a near-monopoly on internet access in Baltimore.
Because a group of Muller Paz students called Students Organizing a Multicultural and Open Society (SOMOS) successfully petitioned Comcast to enhance its speeds, Internet Essentials has been in the news recently. Comcast agreed to an increase after a nearly year-long effort to improve speeds and access, during which the students claimed Comcast rejected their complaints. Internet Essentials speeds will increase from 25 megabits per second (mbps) download/3 mbps upload, which is the government minimum threshold for broadband internet, to 50 mbps download/5 mbps upload beginning this month. Prior to the epidemic, Internet Essentials only offered 15 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload, which was less than the federal standard at the time. Although Internet Service Providers are not required to satisfy federal benchmarks, the government utilises them to track who is and is not receiving basic service.
“Despite Comcast’s repeated assurances that the service is adequate to satisfy people’s basic requirements, it hasn’t been,” says Zeke Cohen, a Baltimore councilman who has led the charge for extra bandwidth. “We interpret their decision to double the speeds as an admission that their products were subpar.”
A former employee went public and said he departed because he couldn’t sell Internet Essentials with good conscience, prompting the change.
Comcast stands behind the programme and points to the increases, as well as some of its other initiatives, as evidence of its commitment to providing equal access to the internet.
“Internet Essentials is the nation’s largest and most comprehensive broadband programme,” a Comcast spokesman stated in an email. “Since 2011, it has helped to change the lives of over 8 million people by giving Internet to families regardless of their income or zip code.” Comcast also aims to provide free WiFi in 1,000 community centres across the country, according to the report. This initiative has been implemented in hundreds of towns around the country, including 16 in Baltimore. The spokesman did not specify how fast the program’s internet speeds are.
Nonetheless, Muller According to Paz, nearly a third of her students still experience internet connectivity concerns, which causes them to miss class or struggle to follow courses. According to Cohen, people have complained about frequent lags or delays in video conferences, as well as students’ difficulty logging in or staying logged in to Zoom classes or Google Classroom.
What is the source of the gap between what is theoretically possible and what people are really experiencing? Comcast declined to comment on the specific complaints, but fast download and upload speeds are an important aspect of maintaining a stable internet connection. It’s what allows data to move into people’s homes and is also known as bandwidth. The improved download and upload rates of 50 mbps and 5 mbps are better than the bare minimum, but they are still a “minimum service level,” according to Deryckx. There’s also more to think about.
“In addition to download and upload speeds, there are many more aspects that contribute to a good internet experience. And it’s here that I’m not surprised to hear people say things like, “You know, even 50 by five is too slow since you don’t always get the best-case scenario experience.”
Is Comcast’s Internet Essentials safe to use?
Since March 2020, many families across the country have been forced to shift from traditional in-classroom learning to remote learning at home, where parents have taken on the role of impromptu teachers and children study exclusively through screens. It’s not the best environment for learning, but it’s what we have to do in the event of a pandemic. To make matters worse, large internet companies are taking advantage of the country’s newfound reliance on WiFi, with one offering its worst internet packages with extremely slow WiFi speeds to low-income families and telling them that the only way to speed up their internet is to pay more.
Former XFinity/Comcast employee Chase Roper recently went popular on Twitter after he revealed the truth about the company’s practises “The Internet Essentials programme is a sham that targets low-income people and provides slow internet connections.
“I recently parted ways with Xfinity/Comcast. Roper tweeted, “I want families to know that the special Essentials service they give to low-income households for $9.95/mo is only 25mbps, which is virtually never enough speed for children to do their live “zoom” online class work.”
Is Internet Essentials sufficient in terms of speed?
“Internet Essentials has a download speed of 25 Mbps and an upload speed of 3 Mbps,” he added. “So it’s on the verge of becoming ‘quick enough’ for one person. Your students may not be able to do the live stream class environment depending on the devices in the home, the location of the modem, and the amount of individuals trying to access the internet.”
What is the speed of Comcast’s $10 internet?
Comcast is increasing the speed of its Internet Essentials subscription, a $10-per-month internet connection for low-income families. New and existing users will be able to obtain download speeds of up to 50 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 5 Mbps starting March 1st. The news is part of the company’s aim to “bridge the digital divide” by addressing “digital literacy and the homework gap.” This is the second time in recent months that Comcast has increased the speed of Internet Essentials, which was increased to 25/3 Mbps in March 2020 in response to COVID-19.
The corporation is also offering to provide free, high-speed WiFi to 1,000 community centres across the country as part of the campaign. These “Lift Zones” are designed to provide a safe environment for children to access the internet, allowing them to access remote learning and finish homework when they are not at school. According to the corporation, it will reach its objective of 1,000 Lift Zones by the end of 2021, well ahead of schedule.
Is there WiFi with Comcast Internet Essentials?
Free internet training is available online, in print, and in person. A wireless gateway that provides in-home WiFi at no extra charge.
What is the definition of internet Essentials?
Comcast’s Internet Essentials is a low-cost internet service. Since its inception in 2011, Internet Essentials has served over 10 million homes. This internet service plan, which was recently expanded from 25 Mbps to 50 Mbps, costs only $9.95 per month. However, not everyone has access to Internet Essentials.
To be eligible, you must be qualified for certain government assistance programmes and reside in a Comcast-served area.
With Comcast Internet Essentials, how many gigabytes do you get?
As part of your monthly Xfinity Internet service, you’ll get 1.2 Terabytes (TB) of Internet data usage with the 1.2 Terabyte Internet Data Usage Plan. If you utilise more than 1.2 TB in a month, we will automatically add 50 GB blocks to your account for an extra $10 per block.
Is the data on Xfinity Essentials unlimited?
When you sign up for this plan, your data use is unlimited. For an extra $30 per month, all non-Internet Essentials and non-Internet Essentials Partnership Program users can upgrade to the Unlimited Data Option. This cost is unrelated to the amount of data you use.
How can I get free internet without paying at home?
What is the best way for me to receive free Internet at home without having to pay anything?
- Freedom Pop is an acronym for “Free Internet.”
- NetZero is a free internet service provider.
- Free Internet via Wi-Fi Hotspot.
- For free internet, check with your service provider.
- In your area, look for a Municipal Wireless Network.
- Request free internet from a neighbour.
- For Free Internet, use InstaBridge.
What is the most affordable Xfinity package?
What is the most affordable Xfinity package? Choice Limited TV is the cheapest Xfinity cable TV service, costing $30 per month. It’s vital to note that the majority of the programming comes from local networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX) and public access.