Comcast to Sell Prepaid Access Cards for Low-Cost Internet Program

Comcast in the second half of 2013 plans to introduce prepaid “Opportunity Cards” to let not-for-profit organizations, businesses and others buy up to a year of Internet Essentials service for low-income families eligible under the program. In addition, Comcast has expanded the eligibility criteria to include families with home-schooled kids and those with students in private and parochial schools. That will make nearly 200,000 additional families eligible for Internet Essentials in Comcast’s service area, bringing the total to nearly 2.6 million eligible families, the company estimates. Comcast is required to offer Internet Essentials -- which costs $9.95 per month (plus tax) for a 3 Mbps downstream and 768 Kbps upstream connection -- through the end of the 2013-14 school year under the terms of the Federal Communications Commission’s approval of its takeover of NBCUniversal.