Comcast Completes Network Expansion to Nearly 350 Cumberland County Homes, Businesses

Comcast has completed a network expansion that delivers broadband service to nearly 350 previously unconnected rural homes and businesses in Hopewell Township and Maurice River Township in Cumberland County, company and municipal officials said. The project closes a decade-long effort to plug broadband gaps that accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to extend digital access for families, farms and small businesses.

The build was executed through public-private partnerships between Comcast and the township committees. Maurice River Township Mayor Ken Wilden said the township used American Rescue Plan funds and a competitive RFP to secure the deal, framing the work as the culmination of long-term local planning. “By strategically investing our American Rescue Plan funds and partnering with Comcast through a competitive RFP process, we’ve connected residents and businesses who have waited far too long for reliable high-speed Internet,” Wilden said. “This is about ensuring our families can work remotely, our students can learn online, and our small businesses can compete in the digital economy.”

Hopewell Township leaders described their agreement with Comcast as an unusual and rapid way to close remaining gaps. Hopewell Mayor Robin Freitag called the partnership “first-of-its-kind in New Jersey” and praised the township’s decade of effort to expand access. “Every resident, farm and small business in our township now has a level playing field, with access to high-speed Internet for work, school, family, friends and entertainment,” Freitag said. She thanked former Mayor Paul Ritter and former Deputy Mayor Greg Facemyer for laying groundwork that enabled the quick, cost-effective rollout.

Comcast framed the expansion as bringing a “fast, reliable and fiber-rich network” to the newly served addresses and said residents now have access to the company’s Xfinity services, including high-speed internet, mobile and home security offerings. Dan Bonelli, Senior Vice President for Comcast’s Freedom Region, said the company was “proud to help township officials meet their goal of connecting every resident and business to broadband access,” describing the work as a collaborative, economical solution for the communities.

The local economic implications are straightforward: expanding broadband to rural addresses can increase digital inclusion for telework, online learning and e-commerce, and it can reduce friction for farm operations and small businesses that rely on connectivity for markets and payments. Municipal use of ARP funds and a competitive procurement process illustrates a financing path smaller townships can adopt to accelerate private-sector deployment without direct municipal construction responsibility.

Gaps remain in the public record: officials describe the total as “nearly 350” new serviceable addresses and report installations took place in November, but precise counts, contract values and technical speed metrics were not disclosed. For residents, the immediate benefit is availability, next steps will be adoption by households and businesses and municipal tracking of economic and education outcomes. If uptake is strong, Hopewell and Maurice River could offer a replicable model for other rural pockets of Cumberland County seeking to finish the job of universal broadband access.