Building a Digital Bridge

A famous Chinese proverb says, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”

Across the nation, the Comcast Foundation is partnering with the educational non-profit One Economy and other local non-profits to teach teens and young adults from low-income areas about broadband technology and how it can benefit them for a lifetime. Backed with a foundation grant of $1.2 million, Comcast is rolling this program out to at least 30 locations across the US, including Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Tallahassee and West Palm Beach, and this fall in Chattanooga.

When Comcast and One Economy bring Digital Connectors to a market, we first select an appropriate non-profit organization with which to partner. Here in the South, we have chosen organizations like the Association for the Advancement of Mexican Americans in Houston; Apalachee Ridge Technology Center in Tallahassee; Elevate Miami in South Florida; Urban League of Palm Beach County in West Palm Beach; and the Boys and Girls Clubs in Atlanta.

Next, together with our partners, we select a group of young people - ages 14 to 21 - from diverse, low-income backgrounds to join us two to three times per week over a full year to learn digital literacy skills. Students learn how to network computer labs, connect wireless access points and create video documentaries.  Additionally, they are given instruction in entrepreneurship, healthy living, career and character development.  The program also includes creative media projects intended to inspire the students to put broadband and Internet technology to their greatest use in the local community.

At the end of the course, the young people volunteer their time at community-based organizations, senior centers, churches and even in their own homes to help improve digital literacy. Additionally, they are being mentored by local Comcast employees who are helping develop leadership skills among the young people and lending expertise to local programs.

Response to this program has been nothing short of amazing. In a recent editorial, the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper wrote:

“Many of these young people never would have pursued such a career choice, because the idea of broadband and the potential of the Internet have never touched their worlds. That’s the digital divide, a concept widely recognized but seldom solved...Now it’s Tallahassee’s turn and we are grateful to Comcast for helping us to bridge the digital divide - one young person at a time.”


In West Palm Beach, Mayor Lois Frankel stated at a news conference: 


“Thank you for making sure there is no digital divide in the city. Thank you for training our kids for the future.”

This is exciting news for the communities we serve, and I am so glad that Comcast plays an important role.

Miami Mayor Tomas Regaldo (far left) and Commissioners Frank Carollo talk with students in the Comcast Digital Connectors Program in South Florida.

Comcast West Palm Regional Vice President Gary Waterfield speaks at the mayor's press conference, highlighting the accomplishments of the Comcast Digital Connectors Program in West Palm Beach.