Comcast is investing $4.2 million to bring internet service to this Whatcom community
A Whatcom County border town will soon have a new option when it comes to internet access.
Comcast announced that it is expanding its service to 815 homes in Sumas. According to a news release, Comcast plans to invest $4.2 million in the expansion, offering Xfinity and Comcast Business services to the area.
“We are very excited to have Comcast coming to Sumas. They provide quality services and have a solid infrastructure,” said Sumas Mayor Kyle Christensen in the news release. “This will be a big benefit to our residents and businesses.”
Comcast has worked directly with Sumas to make this happen and the project not related to Whatcom County’s rural broadband project, Andy Colley, communications director for Comcast, said in an email. He added that they’ve been working with Sumas on this project for the past couple of years.
According to highspeedinternet.com, Sumas has a limited number of providers, including PogoZone, HughesNet, Ziply Fiber and Viasat.
In an email, Christensen said Sumas is primarily served by Ziply and PogoZone. With the addition of Comcast, he said they are hoping that it will help them encourage growth in the Sumas industrial park and the downtown commercial area.
Colley said the plan is to activate service for customers as quickly as possible, but it will depend on the design and permitting process.
Sumas residents and businesses will have access to the Xfinity television, internet and phone service. It will also offer a connection program for low-income individuals, which is currently being used by 15,200 residents in Whatcom County.
Whatcom County, led by the Port of Bellingham, has worked on ways to improve internet connections in rural parts of this area that are not economically feasible to be constructed by the private sector. The Port is proposing to build a fiber-optic network that would be leased to internet service providers. Its first segment would put in fiber between Bellingham and Glacier and construction is expected to start in 2022, according to a port commission presentation on Feb. 18.
“While it is terrific news Comcast is expanding service to 815 homes in the city of Sumas, unfortunately, most Whatcom County residents living in rural areas still do not have access to broadband or only have access to outdated infrastructure,” said Mike Hogan, a spokesman for the Port, in an email. “The Port is focused on acquiring grant funding at the state and federal level to ensure this critical broadband infrastructure is built.”
