Comcast Corp. has launched a three-year effort to push broadband technology into lower-income homes. Called the Internet Essentials program, the test will offer $9.95 per month broadband connections to every family who lives in the Comcast service area and who has a child receiving free school lunches.

Launched this past summer, the program will run through 2013, said Comcast spokesman Walt Neary. Neary visited Spokane this week and took part in two sessions explaining the program.

Eligible families can also receive a voucher worth $150 toward the purchase of a netbook computer for use in the program.

In addition, Comcast is arranging for free Internet training across Washington state for eligible families. In Spokane those courses will be provided through the Boys and Girls Club of Spokane County and through Tincan, a nonprofit that advocates for technology training.

No starting dates for the classes have been announced.

To be eligible, a family must live within Comcast’s service area, have a child participating in a free lunch school program and not have used the company’s Internet service within the preceding 90 days.

Once signed up, the program continues at $9.95 through the child’s senior year in school if the student continues receiving a free lunch.

Comcast officials say between two and three million children within its national service area are eligible.

Comcast will not make any attempt to upsell more services to families using the program, Neary added.

Although it’s too early to declare the Spokane School District’s bond issue a winner, it is clear that it did considerably better than the City of Spokane’s bond issue.

It pulled more votes out of almost every city precinct that the two proposals shared. Sometimes lots more, as the above map of the first night’s vote totals shows.

This is interesting for several reasons.

The Spokane School District bond issue received strong support all over the city. Even in parts of the city where it didn’t receive the required super majority, voters in many precincts gave it a simple majority.

Note that some of the strongest support comes in areas where the bond will rebuild or rehab schools. On the South Side, the precincts around Ferris High School and Jefferson and Hutton elementary schools have big majorities.

Spokane School District officials can probably rest easy tonight. Their $288 million bond issue has a comfortable lead, and seems headed for passage.

News for the City of Spokane’s Police Department and animal control plans is not so good. The $18.5 million “Police and Pets” bond issue was thumped. Hard.

The above map is a look at the city bond issue as of Tueday night’s count.-