Ramping up for the connectivity demands during the pandemic
A blog post by Ryan Torgeson
In early 2020, Comcast’s Internet Essentials program had been up and running for nearly a decade, but it wasn’t until the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March that things would suddenly shift for the company’s outreach. As many workplaces and schools shifted into remote-mode, and with many people across the world out of a job, the need for a strong broadband service at home was in higher demand than ever before.
“Really, my primary goal was working on digital equity and supporting those initiatives, and something that made me really proud that I would call a win was seeing how Comcast maneuvered the pandemic.”
This is Carla Carrell, Senior Director of Digital Equity at Comcast, a job that ended up becoming directly involved with aiding those who were deeply affected by the sudden changes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Due to the increasing danger of the pandemic, it was important that the corporation not make broad gestures toward aiding its customers. Efficient action was necessary to help the most vulnerable individuals at this time, and that’s the exact approach that they had to take.
“[Comcast] acknowledged that we had to approach [Internet Essentials] differently - based on the needs of what was happening … [We] quickly made the decision to offer two months for free. They eliminated qualifications or eligibility requirements, no questions asked.”
Two months was a good start, but Carla et al. knew that this would not be sufficient in the long run, especially as the pandemic grew larger and the horizon was no longer in sight. “We [then] created a tool or vehicle that would allow us to partner with nonprofits, CBOs, schools, etc, where we would provide two months of the service, and then the partner would be able to support or sponsor the end users.”
Carla quickly understood the need for collective partnerships and being accountable to those who needed it the most.
“It was a great example of these partnerships … It was just a fresh way of thinking about it. It was about not getting bogged down in bureaucracy, but really what needed to happen, and to do it quickly - that for me was huge.”
Most importantly, they understood the responsibility that is inherent in a large corporation like Comcast when times of crisis strike. When a company has the power and influence to make life-altering decisions like these, it’s important that they take the initiative to make the right choices.
“[It’s] the way you have to do it - it wasn't done to get more customers, it was done because it was, quite simply, the right thing to do in a crisis. And that made me proud.”
Source: Dear Digital Equity interview with Carla Carrell. Interviewed Ryan E. Torgeson and Kim Ilinon, Nov. 9, 2022.
