Keeping Comcast’s state-of-the-art network online requires constant attention. Teams across the state work every day to ensure sophisticated equipment is online and delivering fast, reliable internet to Comcast Business and Xfinity customers. Their hard work ensures Floridians can stay connected to the moments that matter.

When a hurricane makes landfall, the work proves especially important as people look for critical information and to stay in touch with loved ones. Hurricane recovery for an internet service provider like Comcast is no easy task. The herculean effort requires experience, strategy and a true sense of community. Fortunately, those attributes make up Comcast’s DNA. When Hurricanes Helene and Milton slammed into the Sunshine State this fall, the company showed it could weather the storms. Strong winds and heavy rains damaged Comcast’s network infrastructure including hundreds of miles of fiber lines.

Fortunately, Florida’s technology leader had being preparing for the moment for years with projects like a game-changing $72 million investment to harden the company’s network in Southwest Florida. That project included rebuilding 70 miles of new lines across Sanibel and Captiva Islands and installing a 10-mile underground fiber line from the mainland in Lee County. 

Hardening the physical network and adding redundancies are just some of the ways Comcast’s advanced infrastructure helps reduce service disruptions across the Florida peninsula. This type of activity allows Comcast to be proactive and help communities recover quickly when their internet services are impacted by natural disasters.

Back-to-Back Hurricanes

Let’s look back at Helene. As the tropical depression evolved into a hurricane, a course of action was already in place. Even before its landfall, Comcast’s teams had begun working together to mobilize equipment, gather fuel and stock up on supplies needed for restoration purposes. Helene impacted connectivity on both coasts and in Florida’s Big Bend region.

Luis Alcala answered the call to help in the restoration process. He’s a seasoned Comcast Business Installation & Service Technician who worked both Helene and Milton’s recovery efforts. He said he understands just how important internet can be, especially following a serious storm and wanted to get customers back online as quickly as possible.

“It’s very gratifying to see the customers’ reactions when they see us in their neighborhoods. Their frustrations turn into gratitude when we show up and they know we will take care of them. These times are also a true testament of the incredible spirit and rapport that we have with each other in situations like this at Comcast. Communication was key and it made our execution extremely efficient, especially considering we had back-to-back hurricanes.”

Luis Alcala, Comcast Business Installation & Service Technician.

Moving from Helene to Milton

Following Helene’s landfall on September 26, Comcast teams proudly restored services for most customers by October 2. Two weeks later, another powerful tropical system named Hurricane Milton made landfall in Sarasota County. Comcast leaders made a decision to proactively open more than 360,000 free WiFi hotspots to keep customers and non-customers connected before and after the storm.

Hurricane Milton’s huge size created a terrifying situation. The storm spun off tornadoes that impacted areas of Florida, far from the center of Milton’s path. While the Gulf Coast faced storm surge which left Comcast equipment under sand and water, Milton’s tornadic activity downed fiber lines on Florida’s Atlantic Coast.

Comcast Florida’s Regional VP Jeff Buzzelli played a critical role in preparing and executing the company’s response. Buzzelli credits an incredible team spirit for helping bringing customers back online as soon as possible.

“I’m so very proud of this team’s response during both storms,” said Buzzelli. “Not only did we resolve 95 percent of our customer outages in less than a week during both storms, but we also ensured all our employees and families were safe and responded quickly to assist those impacted by storms.”

Comcast NBCUniversal Gives Back

To help the communities directly impacted by the storms in Florida, Comcast NBCUniversal donated $200,000 to Hurricane Helene relief and $500,000 to Hurricane Milton relief.

Following Hurricane Milton, Comcast also partnered with local governments and nonprofits to stand up the Xfinity Support Center in Sarasota.

As of today, Comcast Business and Xfinity customers are back online thanks to hundreds of technicians and volunteers who worked nonstop to make the recovery possible. We thank them for their incredible work and thank our customers for their patience and understanding during the storms.