Taking advantage of a public-private partnership with the state of Florida’s Broadband Opportunity Program — and with funds from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund — Comcast has expanded its network to more than 32,000 homes and businesses in 16 counties in Florida, bringing internet, mobile, entertainment, and security services from Xfinity and Comcast Business to those residents and businesses.
One of the largest areas to benefit from the program is Lehigh Acres in the unincorporated part of eastern Lee County, with more than 11,000 homes. Also included in the expansion were projects in Bradford, Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Highlands, Jackson, Lee, Leon, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, St. Johns, and St. Lucie counties.
According to Comcast, the public-private partnership is on track to bring connectivity to 64,000 homes and businesses in rural Florida by the end of 2026.
The 32,000 new homes and businesses already reached are located across Bay, Glades, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Indian River, Lake, Nassau, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Union and Wakulla counties, with an investment of $322 million between the state and Comcast.
“Expanding access to high-speed Internet in rural Florida isn’t just about technology, it’s about creating opportunity,” said Jeff Buzzelli, senior vice president for Comcast’s Florida region, in a prepared statement about the Comcast public-private partnership.
“From students to small businesses to entire communities, this investment helps shrink the digital divide and unlocks the tools people need to thrive. We’re proud to partner with the state of Florida to make this a reality.”
Comcast’s expansion has benefited from the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program. With most states on the same schedule for BEAD funding, announcements of provisional BEAD awards for the “Benefit of the Bargain” BEAD round are being made nearly every day. As of today, Comcast has been provisionally awarded more than $600 million in BEAD funds across 21 states.
