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Comcast's internet access program for low-income families will continue indefinitely

Comcast's Internet Essentials program was originally supposed to wind down this June, roughly three years after its launch in the wake of the NBC merger. However, the company has had a lot of success with the initiative -- enough so that it's extending the program indefinitely. Low-income American families can continue to sign up for basic, $10 per month internet access as long as they have children who qualify for free lunches. Comcast is also providing an extra level of coverage by funding 15 Internet Essentials Learning Zones, or partner networks that will help kids stay online at school, libraries and after-school activities. These latest moves won't completely bridge the gap between internet haves and have-nots, but they should be valuable complements to expanded school broadband efforts.