Comcast, state finalize $50M broadband contracts
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Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) has finalized agreements with the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs to bring $50 million in broadband services to rural areas in 19 Indiana counties.
The investment is part of Indiana’s Next Level Connections Broadband Grant Program, in which Comcast is partnering with state and local governments to build and deliver 1,200 miles of fiber broadband service to more than 10,000 homes and businesses.
In the latest phase of grants, Comcast is investing $36 million in conjunction with the state’s $13.6 million to expand its network.
“Next Level Connections is used as a model by other states to deliver the best tech infrastructure to rural areas,” said Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, who also serves as Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “The investments made by Comcast and other partners will not only benefit residents and businesses but also contribute to Indiana’s rural economic engine.”
The company says the signed contracts will connect unserved portions of Allen, Bartholomew, Carroll, Cass, Delaware, Fayette, Hendricks, Jennings, Johnson, Hamilton, Huntington, La Porte, Madison, Marshall, Montgomery, Morgan, Porter, Starke and Wayne counties to internet services.
“Ensuring all Hoosiers have access to reliable, high-speed internet has been a top priority for Comcast,” said Joni Hart, vice president of government affairs for Comcast in Indiana. “As the world we live in becomes increasingly digital, we remain focused on not only bringing our broadband network to more Indiana homes and business, but also meeting the ever-increasing appetite for education, business, telemedicine, entertainment and more.”
With the signed contracts in place, Comcast says it will immediately begin work on the multiple pre-construction priorities of the expansion projects. The company expects its network expansion to be complete within two years.