New England’s premier source for group purchasing can now access Company’s advanced network and suite of innovative products and services

AMHERST, MASS. – MAY 19, 2021 – Comcast Business today announced it has established a new relationship with the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (“MHEC”). MHEC members, including libraries, K-12 institutions, municipalities, non-profits, and public institutions of higher education, can now access Comcast Business' high-performance network and services through its approved vendor status.

MHEC strives to be the consortium of choice for its approximately 2,000 members by providing multi-vendor contracts that are best in industry in terms of cost avoidance, product and service depth, vendor quality, choice and terms. Members can now more easily procure Comcast Business services without the typical challenges associated with procurement, such as rate negotiation and compliance.

Under the terms of the agreement, Comcast Business will provide MHEC members with its full suite of data and networking products and services, supported by 24/7 enterprise customer service and a cost-effective and easily expandable secure network. This includes:

• Voice services, including Business VoiceEdge Select and Mobility Lines 
• Business Class Internet 
• Fiber services such as Ethernet Dedicated Internet and Ethernet Network Service
• ActiveCore℠ SD-WAN
• DDoS Mitigation Service 

"Educational organizations and institutions must balance high-performance network connectivity at an affordable cost, yet it is oftentimes a challenge to do so,” said Paul Savas, Regional Vice President of Comcast Business for Comcast’s Western New England Region. “We are pleased that the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium turned to us for support in delivering across those areas. Through our leading technology, supported by excellent customer service and support, we will be able to provide its wide-range of members with an advanced and far-reaching network, and help MHEC continue its commitment to staying on the leading edge of technology.”

Comcast Business serves 20 of the nation's top 25 markets and offers high-performance, scalable network options designed for heavy data processing loads, enhanced application performance and secure access to cloud or data center resources for connectivity from anywhere and everywhere. Beyond its advanced network, Comcast Business also offers voice and mobile options for a unified communications approach that helps enhance collaboration across agencies, offices and remote workers, as well as HD video options that can help operations, cybersecurity, and service whether in a courtroom or a waiting room.

“A reliable connection is critical to providing a quality educational experience. And now more than ever, our members seek reliable solutions to accommodate the level of support and resources they need to achieve this,” said Alexander Therkelsen, Contract Manager & IT Specialist, of the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium. “We are grateful to establish this relationship with Comcast Business and are confident they can provide the support and technology we need to uphold the outstanding standards we have promised our members.” 

About Comcast Business
Comcast Business offers a suite of Connectivity, Communications, Networking, Cybersecurity, Wireless, and Managed Solutions to help organizations of different sizes prepare for what’s next. Powered by the nation’s largest Gig-speed broadband network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and one of the leading service providers to the Enterprise market. Comcast Business has been consistently recognized by industry analysts and associations as a leader and innovator, and one of the fastest growing providers of Ethernet services.  
 
For more information, call 866-429-3085. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social.

About MHEC
The Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium (MHEC) is a not-for-profit purchasing consortium established in 1975. The initial membership of the MHEC was comprised of Massachusetts public institutions of higher education as well as a few private colleges known as the Five Colleges, Inc. buying group. These included Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The goal was to provide and manage contracts for goods and services using group buying best practices for its Massachusetts member institutions. Now, their membership is extended to the broader New England area with members that include public and private colleges and universities, municipalities, the State College Building Authority, The Museum of Fine Arts, WGBH public television, The Massachusetts Trial Courts and Elderhostel.

Media Contact:
Kristen Roberts
860-505-2075
Kristen_Roberts@cable.comcast.com