Program Puts Free Internet in D.C. Schools

Ketcham Elementary School in Southeast
Washington this week became the first of more
than 160 D.C. public schools and libraries that
will be equipped with free high-speed Internet
service.

By Ellen McCarthy,
Washington Post Staff Writer

Comcast Communications Inc. is spending
more than $2 million on the initiative and
expects to roll the service out to other city
schools in the next two years. Comcast, which
provides free Internet access to more than 400
schools and libraries in Baltimore and
surrounding counties, pledged to extend the
program to schools in each of its service areas.
Comcast acquired broadband networks in the
District from AT&T Corp. in January 2001 and
will spend more than $75 million upgrading the
city’s cable system.

"I can think of no better way to express our
commitment to the District of Columbia than to
provide the best service possible to our
educational system," said Donna Rattley, vice
president and general manager of Comcast in
Washington.

Rattley said the company will also provide free
courses to help local educators learn to use the
Internet as a teaching tool. The Comcast
Foundation funds the Comcast Technology
Academy, a program that has trained more than
3,300 area teachers.

"This is a great day, and it is very historic for
us," Romaine B. Thomas, Ketcham’s principal, said Tuesday.

Federal Communications Commission member Michael J. Copps said the company’s commitment to
public education is an example he hopes other private corporations will follow.

"This is a good and happy occasion for someone like me, who spends a lot of time talking about the
digital divide, to come here and see something actually being done about the digital divide," Copps said.
"Getting where we need to go is not simple; it requires cooperation between school boards, the
government and the private sector. I’m an optimist. I believe we can do it."

The presentation also marks the availability of Comcast’s high-speed Internet service in that part of the
District. Rattley said the company spent more than a year preparing for the launch and has added 150
D.C. employees, putting its payroll at more than 300 in the city.

http://www.washtech.com/news/netarch/15892-1.html