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How a company investing in Palo Alto has helped residents and local businesses
Successful businesses are not distinct from the communities in which they operate. Rather, they are integral parts of an ecosystem where individuals and families, city leaders, nonprofit organizations and companies contribute to a thriving community.
Therefore, when a business invests in the community, it lifts everyone.
Comcast is helping residents of the Palo Alto area by providing fast, reliable connectivity not just to its customers but to people who haven’t always had adequate digital service or the know-how to use it.
“Now that we’re on the other side of the (COVID-19) pandemic, one of the most impactful things is how important it is that families have access to the internet,” said Jacob Mitchell, Vice President of Marketing for Comcast California. “Some families really struggled through the pandemic.”
Providing both faster speeds and symmetrical ones — where upload and download speeds are the same — affects how much families can do at home, whether it’s remote work or school.
Improved internet in sunny and stormy weather
Already, Comcast has increased speeds for existing customers without a price increase. The speed boost means people can stream, surf and share on a reliable network. And the higher speeds are easy to access.
“They’re free,” Mitchell said. “You just have to reboot your modem and you’re ready to go.”
The company’s next advance is underway: to deliver multigig upload and download speeds, in addition to Wi-Fi coverage inside and outside the home, with its 10G network.
Another innovation will help the community in times of power outages, which may be top of mind for some residents after a wet and stormy winter. Storm-Ready WiFi is a device that maintains internet access even when the power goes out.
“Storm-Ready WiFi offers customers peace of mind,” Comcast Business vice president Alan Goldsmith said at a Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce mixer in March. “The device is designed to provide four hours of connectivity in the event the power goes out due to a storm, a public safety power shutoff, or another reason. We’re proud to be the first internet service provider to offer a product designed to keep our customers online when the power goes out.”
Serving residents and small businesses
In addition to serving its customers, Comcast strives to support the communities where it operates through a number of programs.
For example, it has a $1 billion community engagement initiative called Project UP, which aims to help millions of people reach digital equity. This collection of programs and community partnerships works to “connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility, and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers, and creators,” according to Comcast’s website.
As part of the project, the company has opened more than 1,250 Lift Zones nationwide, which provide students and families with access to free, high-capacity Wi-Fi.
“We have a number of ways we engage in Lift Zones, going into afterschool programs, senior centers, providing internet,” Mitchell said. “We provide digital literacy at home for people.”
That digital literacy helps people learn how to use the internet without fear and to avoid getting scammed online.
As a large company, Comcast has also established a program called Comcast RISE, which supports small businesses and entrepreneurs who want to make a difference in their communities. So far, Comcast RISE has supported 13,500 business owners.
“The program is built to help businesses and their communities thrive with a focus on economic growth,” according to the website. “This year, Comcast RISE has awarded 500 recipients in five cities with a grant package that includes business consultation services, educational resources, monetary grant, creative production, media schedule, and a technology makeover.”
Locally, Comcast has partnered with Avenidas, a nonprofit organization that helps older adults around the mid-Peninsula area be as active, engaged and healthy as possible.
Avenidas provides “a wide range of programs, information, and services that enable people to stay active, maintain their independence, help their aging parents, or care for a spouse,” according to the Avenidas website “Anything someone might need, from a ride to the doctor to a flu shot, Avenidas can help.”
Comcast employees will volunteer May 19 at the Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement event, honoring older adults for their contributions to the community.
During the recent Palo Alto Chamber of Commerce mixer, Mayor Greer Stone was among community leaders who heard about the ways Comcast is investing in the community.
Comcast‘s next-generation network and Internet experience are powering homes today and into the future.