RI Veterans Home residents getting free cable, internet

Jun 14, 2023 / 08:04 PM EDT

BRISTOL, R.I. (WPRI) — With more residents of the Rhode Island Veterans Home going online, state leaders added funding in their latest budget to provide them with better service at no cost.

i3 Broadband is offering the enhanced technology, which Resident Council President Ray Hall said will help veterans stay connected to their loved ones and the outside world.

“We all have very limited access to the outside,” Hall said Wednesday.

“It’s the main source of our entertainment, it’s the main source to our enjoyment, it’s the main source to our information, and it’s the main source to our continuing education,” he added.

From video chats to streaming their favorite TV shows, the need for improved internet access has increased greatly since the pandemic, according to Kasim Yarn, director of the Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services.

“We’ve gotten feedback from our residents, family members about free cable and internet services, we heard from our elected officials, our military services, and we listened,” Yarn said.

Gov. Dan McKee discussed the importance of ensuring a facility like the Rhode Island Veterans Home continues to advance. “Putting dollars in the budget to make sure after COVID this facility here opens up to new men and women who have served,” McKee explained.

i3 Broadband will also provide veterans with a client services team to help them transition into this new technology.