Think about your mom or grandma. She might be part of the “Greatest Generation,” or a Baby Boomer, so she sure as hell has seen a lot in her life. She’s seen multiple wars, the Civil Rights Movement and the birth of rock music. And now, she’s getting Internet access and she’ll be able to join in on all the Facebooking, Googling and Netflixing that’s second nature to Millennials.

From the looks of it, Comcast is on a mission to:

Make sure any low income senior citizen in San Francisco who wants access to the Internet can have it at the extremely affordable $9.95 per month, plus tax

Teach said senior citizens how to use the Internet so they’re not intimidated once they gain access to it

Comcast made the big announcement about their new Internet Essentials pilot program last week at the Lady Shaw Senior Center in San Francisco. Around 60 seniors were there for the occasion and I can tell you first hand that they were thrilled with the news.

If you’re like me, you may take for granted having access or the ability to pay for Internet service. I spend hours scrolling through the abyss that is the World Wide Web and never give another thought to what life might be like without it. I can video chat with my family members across the country, order groceries and have them delivered and yes, even sign up for a dating site or two.

And now thousands of senior citizens in San Francisco will be able to do the same. This is a big deal; it’s going to make the lives of senior citizens easier, because they deserve it. But be prepared: Grandpa may ask you for dating advice very shortly. Tell him to go with the black dress pants because they’re very slimming.

Comcast rolled out their Internet Essentials program back in 2011. Initially it was intended to provide online access to children of low income families. Since then, the program has connected more than 280,000 low income Californians to Internet access at home, more than 90,000 of which live in the Greater Bay Area. Eligible seniors will not only have affordable Internet service, but will also be provided with a free router. My question is: When will they have this program for 30-something reporters? I promise I’ll Skype with my mom and dad more!

Comcast Senior Executive Vice President, David Cohen, flew to San Francisco specifically to unveil Comcast’s new endeavor and he told me that “San Francisco, because of the leadership of Mayor Ed Lee, the leadership of his Department of Aging and his focus on broadband adoption among seniors made this city the ideal candidate.”

It was clear that this wasn’t only a business announcement for Mr. Cohen; it was something that he took pride in. He told me he was touched when he spoke with a woman who participated in the Palm Beach Internet Essentials program, which was rolled out earlier. She was an immigrant from Jamaica who rarely spoke with the family she left behind simply because she couldn’t afford the costs for long distance phone calls or broadband service. Since becoming a part of the Internet Essentials program, she now Skypes with friends and family every day.

The Internet Essentials program isn’t just providing Internet access; it’s also providing education. One of the biggest obstacles between senior citizens and broadband use is intimidation. The web can seem like a foreign, alien world if you’ve never been exposed to it before. If all goes well, the Internet will make life much easier for these senior citizens.

At the launch in San Francisco, the excitement in the crowd was palpable. Executive Director of the Department of Aging and Adult Services, Anne Hinton, was ecstatic during the announcement. It’s something she knows the community has been wanting for a long time. She said, “If you bring technology to people and you understand what it is that they are wanting, to visit their families, to see their grandchildren on Facebook or to explore genealogy, whatever it might be, people will jump at it.”  

And jump they did. Many in the room were smiling ear-to-ear and applauding the fact they would all soon be a part of the information highway. One senior citizen who recently received Internet access told the crowd that she’s no longer afraid to use the Internet and has even found some great crocheting tips online. Expect her quilting game to rise to a whole new level. And, expect the other senior citizens that are part of this program to also discover a whole new world that they can be a part of on the Internet.

As Comcast continues to learn from these pilot programs Mr. Cohen hopes we’ll be seeing this type of Internet access spread across the country overtime. And if that’s the case we can gleefully expect more YouTube videos just like this: