Comcast announced plans to extend its network to more than 3,400 locations in Spring Hill, Kansas, as it continues efforts to expand its footprint and boost broadband growth. Including the newly announced project, Comcast has publicly disclosed expansions in at least seven states so far this year and won grants for projects in three more.
Though Comcast said it plans to work with the City of Spring Hill on the two-year, $9 million project, city officials noted the build will be solely funded by the operator. No tax dollars or financial investment from the city will go into the project.
The project in Spring Hill appears to be the largest of several Comcast is undertaking in its Twin Cities Region, which spans Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Kansas. Other builds include an expansions to 267 homes in Rogers, Minnesota, and another 245 in Dayton; as well as work to reach 537 homes in Grain Valley, Missouri. It also plans to spend $2.5 million on a network expansion in Wayzata, Minnesota.
All told, its plans for the area will see it spend more than $15.2 million to connect nearly 6,425 additional locations.
Comcast is also working to expand its network in other parts of the country. In March, it announced plans to reach nearly 5,000 customers via an expansion project in Silverton, Oregon. The same month it also revealed it would spend $22 million to extend its network to more than 18,000 new locations in Eagle Mountain, Utah. In June, it highlighted plans to build to more than 2,000 new locations across nine communities in Vermont.
The operator has also talked up expansion plans in Florida, noting earlier this month builds are underway in Crescent City, Lake Butler, Monticello, the Spring Lake Improvement District in Highlands County and Waldo.
Beyond its own investments, Comcast has also won broadband grants for work in Louisiana, Maryland and Delaware.
Its expansive efforts are no surprise. In April, Comcast executives outlined plans to reach at least 800,000 new passings this year through edge out builds, as part of a bid to help spur broadband growth. According to analysts at MoffettNathanson, Comcast already added 174,000 homes passed in Q1 2022 and another 226,000 in Q2. That means it has 400,000 passings left to hit in the back half of the year to reach its target.