Comcast leads a $2.8 million expansion of its fiber-based network in Kent County

A modern day riff on the old proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child,” could be, “it takes fast internet to build commercial development.”

 It wasn’t always the case, but, for the most part now, commercial and industrial developments need fast and reliable internet to service to attract and retain tenants, which in turn means jobs.

That’s one reason why the Comcast Business announcement of its $2.8 million expansion of its fiber-based network in Kent County that will add nearly 33 miles of fiber to 496 buildings housing 844 business tenants in a nearly six-square mile radius surrounding the Gerald R. Ford International Airport is a pretty big deal.

Rachel Sal Jansheski is real estate associate for Realvesco Properties. Her company is both a tenant and a property manager and agent for several of the businesses located in that area. She says there were limited options for companies when it came to speedy and reliable internet access in the area surrounding the airport. Which, if you had an industrial business such as a warehouse, was not a major problem, but for companies looking for affordable office space with access to the airport, not having reliable service could be a deal breaker. “The main complaints we had from 2011 to 2016 with companies looking for space in this area were the limited options and limited speed for internet access,” she says.

The proactive build approach will equip office spaces with high-speed broadband services that are capable of delivering up to 100 gigabits-per-second (gbps) of network capacity. The build-out will provide businesses access to a comprehensive portfolio of high-performance ethernet, internet and advanced voice solutions that will help meet the day-to-day demands of organizations requiring large amounts of bandwidth, looking to link multiple sites or branch locations, or planning to connect their offices to a third-party data center. The project marks the largest single concentrated fiber expansion Comcast has ever undertaken in West Michigan.

Comcast is one of the nation’s largest video, high-speed internet and phone providers. It maintains a strong presence in the West Michigan community. In 2015, the company invested nearly $925,000 in the form of grants and PSAs to nonprofits, scholarships to high school students, and community sponsorships.

Writer: John Rumery, Innovation and Job News Editor