After complaints about a program that offers cheap Internet service to poor people, Comcast today announced it will provide "up to six months" of free Internet to new subscribers and an "amnesty" program for families with unpaid bills.

Comcast's Internet Essentials, mandated by the federal government when Comcast acquired NBCUniversal, gives $10-per-month Internet service to low-income households with schoolchildren. Critics have argued that the program is too hard to sign up for, that eligibility criteria should be less strict, and that further requirements should be implemented if Comcast is allowed to buy Time Warner Cable.

The amnesty program will make it possible for some families with unpaid bills to get the cheap service. Internet Essentials rejects applicants who have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment. Comcast isn't entirely getting rid of that policy, but the company said that "customers who have an outstanding bill that is more than one year old" are now eligible for the program. "Comcast will offer amnesty for that debt for the purpose of connecting to Internet Essentials, so long as the customer meets all the other eligibility criteria," Comcast said.

"If customers’ outstanding bills are less than a year old, however, then we would like them to settle that debt with us before they can be eligible to apply for the program," Comcast Executive VP David Cohen wrote in a blog post. "We are willing to work with families whose debt is reasonable enough that they could pay us back in installments."

Separately, new Internet Essentials subscribers who are approved between today and September 20 will receive "up to six months of complimentary service," Comcast said today. Comcast has offered similar promotions in the past. Given that the offer is for "up to six months," we asked Comcast if any new customers will receive less than six months free service. A spokesperson told Ars that "it just means six months." Even families whose debt is being forgiven in the amnesty program are eligible for the offer, the spokesperson said.

"Throughout the back to school season, Comcast will actively engage with parents, teachers, non-profit partners, and elected officials to help spread the word to low-income families about the program," the company said in its announcement. "The Company plans to air an unprecedented number of public service announcements that promote the new, six months complimentary offer, and to focus on schools where 100 percent of students receive a free lunch through the National School Lunch Program and can therefore automatically apply. Comcast will also continue to offer families the option to purchase a computer at less than $150, as well as provide access to free digital literacy training online, in print, and in person."

Comcast says the program, which provides 5Mbps download and 1Mbps upload speeds, has connected 350,000 families out of 2.6 million that are eligible nationwide. Comcast was only required to offer Internet Essentials through June 2014, but it announced earlier that it would extend the program indefinitely. The company has touted the program while trying to win approval of its purchase of Time Warner Cable, promising to extend the cheap service to low-income TWC customers.