Comcast Launches WiFi-Connected 'Lift Zone' In Chicago Heights

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, IL — Comcast today announced the launch of new WiFi-connected “Lift Zones” at two south suburban Cook County locations, including here in Chicago Heights.

According to a news release from Comcast, lift zones are safe spaces where children can get online to do schoolwork and adults can get online to learn new digital skills, search for employment and access an array of services. The new zones are located at:

• Cornerstone Community Development Corporation, 943 E. Lincoln Hwy., Ford Heights, IL
• Harold Colbert Jones Memorial Community Center, 220 E. 15th St., Chicago Heights, IL

Comcast said the COVID-19 crisis put many low-income students and families at risk of being left behind and accelerated the need for comprehensive digital equity and Internet adoption programs to support them. The Lift Zones are part of a larger multiyear plan by Comcast to support community-organization-based WiFi at more than 1,000 Lift Zones throughout the country – including in the Chicago area, according to Comcast.

The Lift Zones also are an extension of the company’s commitment to help connect low-income families to the Internet and provide resources to help them take advantage of educational opportunities and the digital economy, Comcast said. The Lift Zones complement Comcast’s Internet Essentials program, a low-cost Internet adoption program for low-income families, which has helped connect more than 10 million people in America – including more than 1 million in Illinois alone – to the Internet at home since it was launched in 2011.

“Internet connectivity and digital skills are crucial in every aspect of our lives, from school to work and accessing government services, to entertainment and communications. Our economic future depends on the ability of children to access the Internet and develop skills that will help them succeed in school and prepare for tomorrow’s workplace,” said Toni Preckwinkle, President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. “We appreciate Comcast’s continued investment in Cook County communities and in programs designed to close the digital divide.”

The release states that Lift Zones also complement the Internet Essentials Partnership Program (IEPP), through which Comcast partners with school districts, housing authorities and other organizations to provide Internet service at home to eligible low-income households. Locally, the Housing Authority of Cook County, Chicago Public Schools, through Chicago Connected, School District U-46 in Chicago’s northwest suburbs and more than 70 other districts in the region are participating in the IEPP.

“Through Internet Essentials, Comcast has helped hundreds of thousands of Illinois families cross the digital divide,” said Matthew Summy, Comcast’s Regional Vice President of External and Government Affairs. “I’m proud that Comcast recognized the impact of the digital divide early on, stepped up and now continues to offer solutions that further our commitment to communities through the creation of Lift Zones.”

According to the release, Comcast continues to offer, through June 30, 2022, all new Internet Essentials customers two months of free Internet service. Comcast also continues to extend free access to its 1.5 million public Xfinity WiFi hotspots to anyone who needs them, including non-customers, through the end of 2021. These hotspots are located in public places, ranging from small businesses and parks to transportation hubs, and are in addition to the Lift Zones, the release states.

Lastly, Comcast’s Internet Essentials program also makes a range of educational resources available online for anyone to access at www.internetessentials.com/learning.