Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Healey-Driscoll administration and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute today awarded $31.5 million to four internet service providers to increase internet access for affordable and public housing residents statewide.
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute provided the funds through the state’s Residential Retrofit Program, which expands reliable, high-speed internet service by addressing inadequate wiring and infrastructure through grants to qualified ISPs.
According to the MBI, this round of grant funding will modernize internet access in more than 13,700 housing units across Massachusetts, including the installation of fiber-optic or CAT6 internet infrastructure, customer home-based equipment, and Wi-Fi service to residences in 60 municipalities across the state. The upgrades aim to increase connectivity, reduce cost burdens and improve digital access for low-income residents.
“With this funding, we’re making sure low-income residents have the same access to essential services, opportunities, and tools as everyone else, leading to a more connected and advanced economy,” said Interim Economic Development Secretary Ashley Stolba in a prepared statement.
The Residential Retrofit Program is funded by the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund through the American Rescue Plan Act. The program prioritizes projects in federally designated Qualified Census Tracts and properties with high percentages of deed-restricted affordable housing.