Representatives from Tech Foundry, a non-profit workforce development organization, and Comcast, along with Massachusetts State Representative Patricia Duffy, recently celebrated a donation of 50 laptops to support Tech Foundry’s efforts to equip students in Holyoke, Springfield and surrounding towns with digital skills, technology and reliable high-speed Internet. The donated laptops will be used by students participating in the organization’s Tech Literacy Classes, which range from basic computer operation and maintenance to productivity software and cloud-computing.
“Thanks to Comcast’s generous donation of 50 laptops, more students can benefit from Tech Foundry’s game-changing Tech Literacy Classes, which help address the digital divide in our community and ensure everyone can connect, learn and succeed in a technology-driven society,” said Massachusetts State Representative Patrica Duffy.
“Tech Foundry thanks Comcast for providing these laptops to students in our Tech Literacy Classes,” said Tricia Canavan Chief Executive Officer of Tech Foundry. “We are empowering Massachusetts residents through access to digital literacy programming, which is only possible because of the support of our community partners.”
This donation is part of Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion commitment to advance digital equity through programs and community partnerships that connect people to the Internet, advance economic mobility and open doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators. This investment includes digital equity programs such as Internet Essentials, Lift Zones and Digital Navigators.
“We have a longstanding commitment to Western Massachusetts and understand the important role that the Internet and digital literacy play in building a future of unlimited possibilities,” said Carolyne Hannan, Senior Vice President of Comcast’s New England Region. “We are proud to support Tech Foundry to ensure area students have the tools, resources and opportunities they need to confidently build a career in a field they may not have otherwise explored.”
In Western Massachusetts, Comcast also recently turbo-charged its next-generation network, making 2 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) download speeds and up to 10x faster upload speeds available to all customers in Holyoke, Longmeadow, West Springfield and Westfield, over the existing connections in their homes and businesses. Work is also nearly complete to provide these faster speeds to all customers in Southwick and Springfield, with the vast majority of those customers already experiencing these faster speeds. This speed increase was made possible by Comcast’s ongoing investment in its state-of-the-art network.
For additional information about Comcast’s initiatives across Massachusetts visit: https://newengland.comcast.com/.
