Public-Private Partnerships: Comcast and the State of Indiana
Public-private partnerships (“PPPs”) play a crucial role in the broadband industry by leveraging the strengths of both sectors to expand access to high-speed internet, particularly in underserved and rural areas. Governments often lack the resources to build and maintain broadband infrastructure, while private companies may find it economically impractical to invest in low-density regions. Through PPPs, governments can provide funding, regulatory support, and incentives, while private companies contribute technical expertise, innovation, and operational efficiency. This post offers a brief case study of such partnership between Comcast, the Indiana Broadband Office, and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, who are working together to build reliable, high-speed Internet access to unserved and underserved communities in Indiana.
The Players
Comcast is a global media and technology company headquartered in Philadelphia, PA. Founded in 1963, it became one of the largest broadcasting and cable television companies in the world, offering a wide range of services, including high-speed internet, cable TV, home phone, and home security through its Xfinity brand. Comcast plays a significant role in shaping the media landscape and connecting millions of customers to essential digital services. In the last three years, Comcast has invested more than $1.3 billion in Indiana, into capital expenditures, employee wages and benefits, taxes, charitable giving, and infrastructure upgrades.
The Indiana Broadband Office (IBO) is a state agency dedicated to expanding access to reliable, high-speed internet across the state, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Established to address the digital divide, IBO works to facilitate the deployment of broadband infrastructure through funding initiatives and partnerships such as PPP.
The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) is another state agency focused on strengthening and revitalizing Indiana’s rural communities. Established in 2005, OCRA works to support economic development, infrastructure improvement, and quality of life in smaller towns and rural areas. OCRA administers a variety of grant and loan programs designed to fund projects such as broadband expansion, downtown revitalization, wastewater system upgrades, and affordable housing initiatives.
The Partnership
In November 2024, Comcast announced its partnership with IBO and OCRA to invest $55 million to expand high-speed Internet access to unserved and underserved communities in Indiana. Indiana awarded Comcast grants totaling about $9.4 million to cover some costs of the buildout with the remaining $45 million-plus being covered by Comcast. This initiative is part of Indiana’s Next Level Connections broadband grant program, aiming to bridge the digital divide. The investment will specifically bring broadband to rural areas in Boone, Morgan, Shelby, Miami, Delaware, Fayette, and Rush counties.
Details of the $55 million program include deployment of fiber-optic networks designed to maximize internet speed and efficiency; upgrades to existing cable systems; and extension of service areas to reach regions previously limited to lower bandwidth options or disconnected entirely. Through this program, rural Indiana residents will gain access to Comcast’s Xfinity Internet, mobile services, streaming, home security, and low-cost Internet programs. Local businesses will also benefit from Comcast Business solutions, offering advanced networking and cybersecurity services.
This isn’t the first time that Comcast has worked with Indiana local governments to provide broadband services, as Comcast has already invested over $500 million in Indiana over the past three years to improve Internet infrastructure. Currently, Comcast operates more than 49,000 miles of fiber-rich network infrastructure across Indiana, offering symmetrical, high-speed Internet to residential and business and more than 65,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the state.
Takeaways
This collaboration between Comcast and Indiana exemplifies the social and economic advantages of a public-private partnership. As high-speed internet becomes more widely available, communities undergo significant transformations. Students can take advantage of distance learning, accessing a wider range of educational resources. Health care systems can adopt tele-medicine services, enhancing patient access to specialists and lowering hospital readmission rates. Similarly, local governments utilize this connectivity to enhance emergency response times and boost civic engagement.
Making sure everyone can access the internet is thus critical. PPPs like the one discussed here should serve as a model for extending networks to all remaining unconnected households.
Seth Nguyen is a 2L at New York Law School.