Comcast is footing most of the bill for a $55 million broadband network buildout in Indiana for which the company also won funding from the state, a Comcast spokesperson told Telecompetitor today.
The state of Indiana awarded Comcast several grants totaling about $9.4 million to cover some of the costs of the buildout in June. The remaining $45 million-plus will be covered by Comcast, the company spokesperson confirmed.
That’s around 83% of total project costs. It’s an even higher percentage than the 62% that Comcast provided in awards made in a previous round of Indiana state broadband funding.
The awards were made through Indiana’s Next Level Connections program, which targets unserved and underserved areas of the state. The program is administered by the Indiana Broadband Office and the Indiana Office of Community & Rural Affairs.
Comcast was the biggest winner in the awards announced in June. Other companies that won funding through the program at that time included Charter, AT&T, Surf Internet, Berry Comm and others.
According to Comcast, the company has invested more than $500 million over the last three years to expand internet connectivity in Indiana.
The Next Level Connections program received funding through the federal Capital Projects Fund.
The high percentage of matching funds that Comcast provided in Indiana could bode well for the $42.5 billion BEAD rural broadband funding program. The more funding applicants contribute, the further BEAD dollars will go.
Additional information about Indiana broadband, including links to state funding resources, state specific Telecompetitor coverage, awards made and more, can be found on the Telecompetitor Broadband Nation web page for the state.
