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For fifth-grader Anthony Villalobos, using the Internet outside of school means going to his cousin's house.

Villalobos said he goes there every day to do his homework.

"It helps me get good grades," said the Rose Park Elementary fifth-grader, noting that his family has a computer but no Internet at home.

Despite the increasing importance worldwide of being able to connect to information and others online, many Utah students don't have access to the Internet at home. That's something, however, that could soon change thanks to a new program Comcast is implementing nationwide, including in Utah. It's a program Comcast is offering as part of an agreement reached with the government before it approved a merger between Comcast and NBC Universal earlier this year.

Under Comcast's new Internet Essentials program many low-income Utah parents will be eligible to buy computers and Internet service at deeply discounted rates. They also will have access to free digital literacy training, Comcast officials announced Monday, with state leaders by their side to show support at the Salt Lake City school, 1105 W. 1000 North.

"The Internet is a great equalizer and a life-changing technology," said Rodrigo Lopez, regional vice president for Comcast. "While the world has gone digital, many low-income families have not, and they and their children are at risk of falling behind."

Ray Child, a spokesman for Comcast, said the company presented the idea to the government during talks over the merger to demonstrate its ability to help consumers, and the company is "putting our heart and soul into it because we believe it's the right thing to do."

Under the program, families of students who receive free or reduced price meals at school, live in areas served by Comcast Internet service, and don't already receive Comcast service will be eligible. Participants can get Internet service for $9.95 a month, a voucher to buy a low-cost computer for $149.99, and a promise of no price increases, activation fees or equipment rental fees.

Lopez estimated as many as 130,000 Utah families may be eligible. To qualify for free or reduced price meals, families must meet federal low-income guidelines.

Comcast officials said the company will make no money off the program, which is rolling out this fall in 39 states and the District of Columbia.

Lt. Gov. Greg Bell on Monday thanked Comcast for the program in Utah, which will be paid for entirely by the company and participants. Bell told the story of a recent visit to southeastern Utah, where he met a girl whose school assignment required Internet research. Since she didn't have home Internet access, she spent hours looking through encyclopedias for answers that she could have found instantly and easily online.

He said becoming fluent in how to use the Internet will eventually help students find jobs and access government services.

"We want children in the National School Lunch Program to have this great opportunity for their homes," Bell said. "Education is what you know, but probably more important, it's to find out how to learn."

Comcast has partnered with about half a dozen Utah school districts and a number of community organizations to help get the word out about the program and train families how to use the Internet.

Nicole Warren, principal at Rose Park Elementary, said her school is filled with such technology as Kindles, SMART Boards and computers. She said her teachers have Web pages where they post assignments, update grades and link to materials. She said she had already spoken with a student who was excited to sign up for the Comcast program so she could do her homework with the same resources as her classmates.

"With Internet in the home our students are going to be able to do amazing things, and we need them to be able to do that because this is a world where we need to be connected," Warren said. "We need to have access or we're going to fall behind and not be relevant anymore." —

Learn more about the program

O To learn more about Comcast's Internet Essentials program for low-income Utahns with children in school, visit:

English • internetessentials.com

Spanish • internetbasico.com for Spanish.

To enroll in the program • 1-855-846-8376 or 1-855-765-6995 for Spanish.