Nothing brings joy as much as seeing organizations combine vision with energy to help others. That’s exactly what Comcast has seen with United Way of Utah County, which is on a quest to support the children of Utah County and the people who surround them.
In partnering with UWUC, Comcast listens to United Way’s needs to determine the best way to support this community. In doing so, we will focus on three areas:
- Bringing high-speed internet access.
- Bringing computers to their community members.
- Providing training on how to put it all together for families and individuals.
According to the 2020 Census, 88.4% of households in Utah County have a broadband internet subscription. However, there are still far too many folks who are left behind. Our goal, through strategic partnerships, is to drive awareness about free and low-cost broadband options to increase connectivity throughout the county.
The results have been tremendous. United Way of Utah County CEO Bill Hulterstrom said, “Without this partnership and support, families and individuals couldn’t support their children in education, and it would become harder – sometimes impossible – for the parents to find sustaining jobs.”
Making a difference to help our neighbors in our communities is at the heart of what matters most, even in a world of technology and internet advancements.
“To help an entire county of children and families is a worthy cause and aligns perfectly with what we are all about,” said Deneiva Knight, external affairs director at Comcast. “As a company, we have made a $1 billion commitment to reach 50 million people over the next 10 years with the tools, resources, and skills needed to succeed in the digital world. Having a solid partner with United Way Utah County accelerates that progress.”
Comcast’s financial support helps with all three components by providing low-cost and sometimes free devices, teams of experts to offer digital equity training, and low-cost internet access through our Internet Essentials program.
Through Comcast’s participation in the federal government’s Affordable Connectivity Program, many Utahns can take advantage of a federal program that brings the internet to families for free.
“We have increased the number of volunteers to teach courses on how to use computers, internet safety, and accessing the internet,” said Hulterstrom. “Now we want to expand this into the northern Utah County area and continue to provide a free, refurbished computer to qualified community members who have taken the series of computer classes.
“We are grateful for a long partnership with Comcast to help support these efforts.”
Earlier this year, Comcast announced its $22 million expansion to 18,000 homes and businesses in Eagle Mountain which will bring high-speed fiber connections and low-cost internet to Utah County.*
Together with committed partnerships like the one with United Way of Utah County, we can help bring digital equity throughout Utah County.
Cities receiving support from this digital equity partnership include:
- Provo City
- Orem City
- Lehi City
- Spanish Fork City
- American Fork City
- Springville City
- Payson City
- Pleasant Grove City
- Saratoga Springs
- Alpine City
- Eagle Mountain City*
- Lindon City
- Vineyard city
- Mapleton City
- Salem City
- Highland City