WESTBOROUGH, MA – Today, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at MassTech announced the launch of the Residential Internet Retrofit Program, a $22 million statewide initiative to equip public and affordable housing units across the state with high-speed internet for current and future residents. MBI will bring together Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and property owners to upgrade in-building telecommunications wiring, equipment, and infrastructure within older housing developments to provide residents with the necessary network capabilities to fully utilize high-speed internet service essential for daily activities such as communicating with friends and family, remote work, online educational opportunities, and telehealth appointments.
“Our economic future depends on high-quality internet access for all, especially for low-income populations who have been historically overlooked and disproportionately impacted by the digital divide,” said Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao. “The Retrofit Program takes an equitable approach to addressing the root causes of low-quality internet service in public and affordable housing. This program makes direct investments that will lead to enhanced connectivity for residents, helping them engage fully in 21st century activities.”
“A substantial portion of public housing buildings are more than 50 years old. Low-income families in these buildings face barriers to accessing the speeds offered by broadband service if the wiring in their apartments pre-dates the internet age,” said MBI director Michael Baldino. “The Retrofit Program will lead the charge to engage with property managers and then to engage internet service providers, who will work together to build out cutting-edge infrastructure that fully connects public and affordable housing units to high-speed internet.”
The effort will involve updating the wiring infrastructure of approximately 22,000 units in affordable housing developments across the state. The funding for the Retrofit Program comes from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF), a program launched as part of the national American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The project is part of $175 million in total CPF funding overseen by the Executive Office for Administration and Finance to address the digital divide in Massachusetts, which includes the ongoing Gap Networks Grant Program launched by the MBI in October 2023.
"It is critical that every resident of the Commonwealth have access to the opportunities the internet provides, especially those in affordable housing who typically have inferior access to the information the rest of us utilize and benefit from,” said Jay Ash, CEO of the Massachusetts Competitive Partnership. “MACP congratulates the Healey Administration for taking a bold and necessary step towards digital equity and will continue to work with MBI to make Massachusetts the most internet accessible place in the country."
“From connecting people to jobs, to healthcare, to education, and more, access to the internet is no longer optional in today’s world,” said State Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “I’m thrilled that the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech has announced this initiative to bring high speed internet to affordable housing across Massachusetts. Greater access to broadband will bring more opportunities to individuals and families living in these units and ensure fast, reliable internet is for everyone, regardless of their zip code or socioeconomic status. I look forward to continuing the legislature’s work with non-profits, internet service providers, and others to expand high speed internet to every Bay Stater in every corner of the Commonwealth.”
“Access to internet should be guaranteed and protected in the same manner as other utilities like water, heat, and electric. The Residential Internet Retrofit Program by the MBI in affordable housing units is a key step towards ensuring all our commonwealth’s residents have access to what should be a public utility” said State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D-Pittsfield). “This investment is progress towards ensuring no residents are left without internet access due to lacking infrastructure or affordability issues, which are commonplace issues both in my district and across the Berkshires.”
Housing operators interested in joining the program should submit an expression of interest via MBI’s online form, which collects basic organizational information, along with the addresses of eligible properties the operator wishes to submit to the program. In spring 2024, the MBI will launch a Request For Information (RFI), which will help inform the launch of a formal Request For Proposal (RFP) later in 2024. The MBI will then issue quarterly RFPs with an updated list of eligible locations statewide, based on the submissions of interest from housing operators.
An upcoming webinar on the program will take place on March 7th, 2024. Interested parties may sign up via this link.
About the Massachusetts Broadband Institute
A division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is working to extend high-speed internet access and availability across the Commonwealth. To achieve this, the MBI utilizes state and federal funding to launch infrastructure expansion programs that target areas of the state which lack high-speed internet access, as well as digital equity programs which tackle barriers to internet adoption and increase availability, addressing critical issues around affordability, enhanced public Wi-Fi, the need for internet-enabled devices, and digital literacy training. Learn more at https://broadband.masstech.org.
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