Lower-income people can get free Internet service through Comcast and a government program, but sometimes signing up is harder than it should be due to confusion within the service Comcast customer.
Massachusetts resident Tonia Williams has qualified for the US government's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which offers $30 monthly rebates, and Comcast's Internet Essentials Plus, a $30 monthly service for low-income people which is essentially free when combined with CPA. delivery. But when she tried to use the ACP discount with Comcast's low-income service, Comcast incorrectly told her she wasn't eligible because she was already a Comcast customer.
Williams, a certified practical nurse who was not working when she spoke to Ars, was finally able to get free home internet service for her family. But she faced several hassles and said she would have given up if it hadn't been for David Isenberg, a Falmouth resident who helps low-income people in his town navigate the process. Isenberg knew Williams because she was previously a home health aide caring for Isenberg's wife's uncle.
"I would have given up if David hadn't pushed me," Williams told Ars in a November phone interview. "It's such a race, and you have to sit and wait. A lot of people don't have time to sit on the phone that long and then they're told, 'Well, you're not eligible. If you don't really know what the service is or how to get it, I would have just believed them, that I didn't qualify."
Three candidates wrongly rejected at first
Isenberg contacted Ars in late October after helping Williams and two others get the discount. All three were mistakenly told they were ineligible when they first tried to register, Isenberg said.
The confusion relates to a Comcast rule that makes customers ineligible for low-income Internet Essentials service if they have been a Comcast subscriber within the previous 90 days. This rule and another relating to unpaid invoices are not intended to apply to persons who are also eligible for the federal ACP program.
"If a customer qualifies and enrolls in CPA with Comcast, the 90-day eligibility restrictions and unpaid debts do not apply for the duration of the CPA," reads an FAQ from Comcast.
But with the first three people Isenberg helped, "Comcast first told those existing customers that existing customers weren't eligible," he said.
Not all applicants face the same problem, as Isenberg later helped enroll a man who was not wrongly rejected. He also heard of another candidate who entered the program without a problem.
Comcast agents 'totally untrained'
But confusion among some Comcast customer service representatives suggests the company hasn't fully trained its employees on the rules of low-income programs.
“They are completely untrained,” Isenberg said. He also said that the registration process is difficult even when there are no major errors.
"This problem is pretty much invisible. You can't see it if you're not really active, helping people," Isenberg said. "There's a very serious class and/or privilege issue here that keeps this really under the radar...if you don't sit down with someone who's poor and apply with them, you don't know ."
With one of the applicants who was wrongly rejected at first, Isenberg told Ars that the registration "took about three hours over three days, which is a hell of a burden if you're a poor person. and you're working two jobs and trying to support a family."
When contacted by Ars, a Comcast spokesperson said what Isenberg and Williams described is not the "typical experience" for Comcast customers who receive the ACP discount. But the spokesperson said Comcast is "redoubled" on training to prevent others from being wrongfully dismissed.
“Engaging consumers with the ACP is a top priority for us,” Comcast told Ars in a statement. “We continue to educate the public about the benefits, train our employees on the program, and refine our processes so enrollment is easy. It's a constantly improving process, and we...
Lower-income people can get free Internet service through Comcast and a government program, but sometimes signing up is harder than it should be due to confusion within the service Comcast customer.
Massachusetts resident Tonia Williams has qualified for the US government's Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), which offers $30 monthly rebates, and Comcast's Internet Essentials Plus, a $30 monthly service for low-income people which is essentially free when combined with CPA. delivery. But when she tried to use the ACP discount with Comcast's low-income service, Comcast incorrectly told her she wasn't eligible because she was already a Comcast customer.
Williams, a certified practical nurse who was not working when she spoke to Ars, was finally able to get free home internet service for her family. But she faced several hassles and said she would have given up if it hadn't been for David Isenberg, a Falmouth resident who helps low-income people in his town navigate the process. Isenberg knew Williams because she was previously a home health aide caring for Isenberg's wife's uncle.
"I would have given up if David hadn't pushed me," Williams told Ars in a November phone interview. "It's such a race, and you have to sit and wait. A lot of people don't have time to sit on the phone that long and then they're told, 'Well, you're not eligible. If you don't really know what the service is or how to get it, I would have just believed them, that I didn't qualify."
Three candidates wrongly rejected at first
Isenberg contacted Ars in late October after helping Williams and two others get the discount. All three were mistakenly told they were ineligible when they first tried to register, Isenberg said.
The confusion relates to a Comcast rule that makes customers ineligible for low-income Internet Essentials service if they have been a Comcast subscriber within the previous 90 days. This rule and another relating to unpaid invoices are not intended to apply to persons who are also eligible for the federal ACP program.
"If a customer qualifies and enrolls in CPA with Comcast, the 90-day eligibility restrictions and unpaid debts do not apply for the duration of the CPA," reads an FAQ from Comcast.
But with the first three people Isenberg helped, "Comcast first told those existing customers that existing customers weren't eligible," he said.
Not all applicants face the same problem, as Isenberg later helped enroll a man who was not wrongly rejected. He also heard of another candidate who entered the program without a problem.
Comcast agents 'totally untrained'
But confusion among some Comcast customer service representatives suggests the company hasn't fully trained its employees on the rules of low-income programs.
“They are completely untrained,” Isenberg said. He also said that the registration process is difficult even when there are no major errors.
"This problem is pretty much invisible. You can't see it if you're not really active, helping people," Isenberg said. "There's a very serious class and/or privilege issue here that keeps this really under the radar...if you don't sit down with someone who's poor and apply with them, you don't know ."
With one of the applicants who was wrongly rejected at first, Isenberg told Ars that the registration "took about three hours over three days, which is a hell of a burden if you're a poor person. and you're working two jobs and trying to support a family."
When contacted by Ars, a Comcast spokesperson said what Isenberg and Williams described is not the "typical experience" for Comcast customers who receive the ACP discount. But the spokesperson said Comcast is "redoubled" on training to prevent others from being wrongfully dismissed.
“Engaging consumers with the ACP is a top priority for us,” Comcast told Ars in a statement. “We continue to educate the public about the benefits, train our employees on the program, and refine our processes so enrollment is easy. It's a constantly improving process, and we...
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