BOSTON – Today, the Biden-Harris Administration and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) approved Massachusetts’ proposal under NTIA’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program that will allow Massachusetts to request up to $147 million in federal funding to expand access to high-speed internet in the state.
“All our residents, from students pursuing education opportunities, to individuals seeking new jobs and career training, to small business owners across the state, need high-speed internet in order to thrive in our economy,” said Governor Maura Healey. “This proposal will help Massachusetts close the digital divide by bringing high speed internet to all, and we thank the Biden-Harris Administration, Secretary Raimondo, and the team at the NTIA for their approval of our proposal.”
“Our administration is committed to bringing high-speed internet to every part of our state, including both urban and rural communities that continue to experience connectivity challenges,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “Through BEAD funding, we will continue to build on the successful state programs aimed at closing the digital divide with new investments to bring connections and ensure all of our residents have the high-speed access they deserve.”
The $42.45 billion BEAD program aims to deploy and upgrade high-speed Internet infrastructure and support high-speed Internet adoption, training, and workforce development efforts inline with the national “Internet for All” program, which provides digital skills training and education to low-income populations, improves online accessibility of social services for individuals with disabilities, and empowers rural communities to measure their own broadband needs.
“High speed internet is the backbone of our economy,” said EOED Secretary Yvonne Hao. “With this support from the Biden-Harris administration, we can make Massachusetts more affordable, equitable, and competitive by ensuring every resident of our state can get online.”
"This is approval is a key step forward in achieving universal broadband access across the state," said Quentin Palfrey, Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure. "We look forward to continuing to partner closely with the NTIA and drawing on all federal resources available to advance our digital equity goals."
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative worked with the Executive Office of Economic Development to develop the state’s Initial Proposal Volume II approved today. BEAD funding will target projects identified through Massachusetts’ BEAD Challenge, an initiative from the MBI that ran throughout June and July and provided local governments, nonprofits, tribal governments and internet service providers an opportunity to work with residents to identify gaps in broadband availability. The data collected as part of this process will help pinpoint locations that are underserved or unserved by broadband providers and are therefore eligible for funding under BEAD. Upon completion of the BEAD Challenge process, MBI begin accepting applications for BEAD grants to broadband projects across the state.
A copy of the NTIA's press release is available on the InternetForAll.gov portal. A full copy of Massachusetts’ proposal, which will include details on specific programs, will be shared on the MBI’s website in the coming weeks.
“Our thanks to our federal colleagues at the U.S. Department of Commerce and the NTIA for the feedback and insight on our draft plans, which strengthened our state’s proposal to close these gaps,” said MBI Director Michael Baldino. “This is a milestone day for our state, not only due to the size of this investment, but also the funding that has helped us improve the accuracy of the federal maps and ensure that our investments go where they are most needed, to the unserved and underserved parts of our state.”
“Reliable, high-speed internet access is a matter of equity and economic justice,” said Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley. “These resources will help expand internet access across the Commonwealth and I’m grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for their partnership and approving this request.”
In total, Massachusetts is set to receive over $400 million in federal funding to close the digital divide. In addition to the $147 million in BEAD funding administered by the NTIA, the state is in the process of deploying $75 million in American Rescue Plan funding and $175 million from the Capital Projects Fund to close existing broadband gaps. In March, the NTIA announced that Massachusetts will receive $14 million in funding to address the digital divide through skills training, device access, and internet affordability.
About the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech
A division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is working to extend high-speed internet access and availability across the state. To achieve this, MBI uses state and federal funding to launch infrastructure expansion programs that target areas of the state that lack high-speed internet access as well as digital equity programs that 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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