Who Could Lose When Comcast and Khan Academy Tango

[Commentary] At first glance, it looks positive: Comcast and Khan Academy are looking for ways to help bridge the digital and educational divide.

In December, the cable giant and the non-profit educational website announced a multi-million dollar partnership that they say could help narrow the gap between Americans who have access to technology and online educational materials and those that lack it. Over the next three years, Comcast will give Khan Academy a large donation and pay for thousands of public service announcements promoting its free online educational videos and services. And it will use the partnership to promote Internet Essentials, Comcast’s three-year-old program that offers low-income families broadband service for $9.95 a month along with vouchers for discounted computers.

But before you get excited, it’s worth considering the motives and potential impact of this agreement: The partnership raises questions about whether “discount” programs like Internet Essentials actually address the digital divide issue, and concerns about how Internet service providers might someday be able to pick favorites in the digital education market.