Comcast to Provide Internet Service Through Seattle Municipal Conduits

SEATTLE - Comcast has been selected to provide Internet service using Seattle's city-owned conduit, Mayor Mike McGinn announced. Service will be available to businesses on First Avenue of Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood by September.

"We can't wait to begin knocking on doors and connecting businesses to our fiber-rich network. We have long wanted to serve this neighborhood, because of its reputation as a business incubator, but the numbers just never quite penciled out until now," said Todd Elliott, director of enterprise sales for Comcast. "Thanks to the city's innovative proposal, we have an opportunity to meet the growing bandwidth needs of the area's Internet start-ups for many years to come, as well as to help the city grow its economy by providing the services these businesses need to remain competitive."

One local company, Onehub, is moving from Bellevue to Seattle and excited about the increased high-speed Internet.

"Onehub is very excited to be moving its headquarters to Pioneer Square," said Charles Mount, CEO of Onehub. "Pioneer Square has become the place to be for Seattle start-ups. The neighborhood has great character, accessibility by public transportation, affordable office space and now, thanks to the city, high-speed Internet that is essential to Onehub and other technology startups."

The project is part of the city's overall effort to revitalize the historic Pioneer Square area. One of the biggest concerns of businesses in Pioneer Square has been the availability and reliability of Internet access. Four weeks ago, Mayor McGinn joined former mayor Charles Royer to announce that the city was laying conduit under First Avenue to connect nearby businesses to fiber optic broadband services.