Yes, municipalities that have not participated in MBI’s Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program may apply, however, these municipalities must possess a pre-existing local digital equity plan or related document that is deemed sufficient by MBI..

MBI will require a plan/related document that adequately describes:

• Underlying purpose to increase internet access and usage for disadvantaged populations;
• Identification of the needs/barriers to digital inclusion among impacted populations; and
• Strategic recommendations for implementation.

Municipalities are strongly encouraged to first enroll in MBI’s Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program.

Municipalities may submit an application to the Municipal Digital Equity Implementation Program and will be asked to provide a proposed substitute. Eligibility based on provided documentation will be assessed by MBI.

Yes, municipalities that have completed a regional plan may apply as a single municipality and should indicate how the regional Digital Equity Plan aligns with the municipality’s proposed implementation project. MBI strongly encourages municipalities to coordinate and strategize as a region if they completed a regional Digital Equity Plan or Charette.

MBI will review applications on a rolling basis through May 31, 2024 through May 31, 2024.

Communities participating in the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program that will not complete their digital equity planning process by May 31, 2024 will have the opportunity to execute a grant agreement with MassTech that will reserve a not-to-exceed amount of grant funding that will be contingent upon completion of the plan; submission of the funding application; and approval of the application and budget by MBI. All invoices under these contracts are to be submitted to MBI no later than September 30, 2026. 

Yes, municipalities that have completed a regional plan may apply as a single municipality and should indicate how the regional Digital Equity Plan aligns with the municipality’s proposed implementation project. However, MBI strongly encourages municipalities to coordinate and strategize as a region if they completed a regional Digital Equity Plan or Charette, and will review regional funding applications favorably. 

Yes, municipalities that apply as a region may be eligible for funds at the rate of $100,000 per municipality. Please note, however, that MBI will assess the reasonableness of a budget based on proposed implementation project scope and potential for impact. Regional applications are expected to incorporate economies of scale.

Municipalities may choose to apply without assistance from a pre-qualified planning consultants, but MBI will only compensate planning consultants to scope projects. Municipal staff costs, however, may be accounted for in the proposed project implementation budget.

If a municipality’s planning consultant is not offering this additional project scoping service, then the municipality may choose another pre-qualified consultant to work with. Affected municipalities should email MBI at broadband@masstech.org in this circumstance to receive further instruction.

MBI strongly encourages municipalities to work with the consultants who helped define their Digital Equity Plan and/or Charette, as these entities understand the municipal context, stakeholders, and subject matter the best. However, MBI acknowledges that there may be certain circumstances that warrant a change in their planning consultancy. Affected municipalities should email MBI at broadband@masstech.org to receive further instruction.

No. This grant cannot be used for broadband infrastructure planning (i.e. technical engineering, broadband feasibility studies, municipal network design, municipal i-net planning, etc.) or implementation. However, municipalities are strongly encouraged to leverage other programs like MBI’s CPF Gap Networks Program or MAPC’s Apartment Wi-Fi Program (within the Digital Equity Partnerships Program) to address issues around availability and quality of service.

MBI will disburse funds to municipalities on a bi-annual reimbursement schedule based on each municipality's period of performance start date.

Yes, municipalities may contract with third parties such as community development corporations (CDCs), community-based organizations (CBOs), public housing authorities, community colleges, local and regional school districts, healthcare and telehealth organizations (including Federally Qualified Community Health Centers), and other entities to implement digital equity projects to serve prioritized populations. Intended sub-contractors must be indicated on the municipality’s funding application and sub-contractors must submit a letter of support indicating preparation for involvement in the proposed project.

If a municipality’s desired project aligns with the capabilities and geographies of a Digital Equity Partnerships Program Partner, MBI will broker between the municipality and Partner to augment the Partner’s scope of work. In the event where a municipality's desired project does not align with an existing Partner’s geography or scope of services, MBI may approve the municipality to pursue its scope of work independently.

Municipalities/planning consultants will be asked to indicate potential points of intersection with the Digital Equity Partnerships Program as part of the first application to MBI to qualify the consultants’ scope of work.

Yes, all municipalities are eligible; however, funds awarded in the Municipal Digital Equity Implementation Program cannot be used for the same scope addressed in other MBI grant programs.