Comcast

Comcast’s Internet Essentials programme offers discounted internet access, low-cost computers and training to low-income households in the United States. The company reports metrics, including the amount it contributes to the programme and the number of participants. Additionally, a third party has assessed the programme’s impact on beneficiaries. Comcast also supports initiatives promoting digital inclusion for women and girls, such as Black Girls Code and Girls Inc.

The company’s partnership with City Year is a leading example of support for computer science and coding training for students in under-resourced schools. It reports on most of the programme’s metrics, including how much it contributes and the number of participants.

Comcast signals its commitment to information security through disclosure in corporate governance documents. It also demonstrates high-level oversight of cybersecurity, including two teams that respond to information security incidents.

The company supports technology innovation ecosystems through its extensive venture capital portfolio, LIFT Labs for Entrepreneurs and initiatives for social start-ups.

Comcast aligns its products with internationally recognised principles for people with disabilities and hires people with disabilities, but it does not disclose concrete details on these practices. Comcast does not disclose details about how the economic value it creates is distributed among stakeholders.

Although Comcast’s Internet Essentials programme fits multiple indicators in the benchmark, the company could improve its reporting on how the programme advances basic and intermediate digital skills. It could also provide more information on its partnerships to support technical skills development.

Comcast could be more transparent about its activities to strengthen cybersecurity. It could provide copies of internationally recognised information security certifications and report on data breaches. The company could enhance its privacy policy in relation to customers’ rights to obtain the data the company holds about them. It also has an opportunity to expand on initiatives for child online safety.

The company could clarify how it contributes to sustainable development research. Comcast also has an opportunity to report on ethical considerations in its research and development activities, which are relevant to issues of bias and discrimination. The company is one of the few large American digital companies that does not report on the number of women working in technical roles.