Seven Massachusetts communities and regions were named National Digital Inclusion Trailblazers by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA). Several of these communities participate in MBI's Municipal Digital Equity Planning grant program:
City of Boston; Pioneer Valley Region; City of Pittsfield; City of Quincy; Town of Randolph and; the City of Somerville. Also included is the Boston Metro Region, which highlights the work of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and partners to boost connectivity and access across the region.
WESTBOROUGH, Mass. – Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at MassTech announced $20 million in new grants through the state’s Digital Equity Partnerships Program, which supports high-impact and scalable initiatives that reach residents most affected by the digital divide.
WESTBOROUGH, MA – Today, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) launched a public comment period to gather feedback about the state’s Internet for All Plan. In order to deploy over $145 million in funds towards broadband and digital equity allocated to the state through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, MBI is gathering input from residents, municipalities, and organizational stakeholders across Massachusetts both online and via mail. A year of planning efforts has established two documents to guide the state’s Internet for All Plan – a Statewide Digital Equity Plan and the Initial Proposal for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
WESTBOROUGH, MASS. – The Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech (MBI), on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, has launched the Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Grant Program, a new competitive grant program funded by $145 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund that aims to deliver high-speed internet infrastructure to areas that currently lack broadband-level service. The Gap Networks program aims to expand connectivity to unserved and underserved locations throughout the state to help bridge the digital divide, with a particular focus on communities with substantial low-income households and disadvantaged populations.
On Friday, September 29th, Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the City of Boston has been awarded three grants totaling over $5 million from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to boost digital equity efforts within the City.
WESTBOROUGH, MA – The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at MassTech has announced the second group of municipalities that will benefit from the Commonwealth’s Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program, which provides strategic consultation to cities and towns to help them identify barriers to internet access, boost direct community engagement, and execute digital equity plans to close the digital divide. The program will fund technical assistance for 27 municipalities that will help uncover the best ways to leverage existing and potential future resources, build digital skills, and engage residents in order to expand internet access, affordability, and adoption in each community.
The MBI is kicking off a statewide ‘Internet for All’ listening tour to gather input from Massachusetts residents about ways to address digital equity and to identify barriers to internet access. The first regional listening session in the series will be hosted at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South in Brockton on September 7, 2023, from 5-7 p.m.
BOSTON — During an event at the White House today, President Biden, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and federal telecommunication leaders announced that Massachusetts will receive $147 million from the national Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program overseen by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The program will use $42 billion in federal funds to expand high-speed internet nationwide, including in Massachusetts and the other 49 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and other federal territories. Massachusetts Director of Federal Funds & Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey and Director of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech Michael Baldino attended the White House event.
WORCESTER – Over 250 community, business, and nonprofit leaders assembled at Worcester’s Union Station on Tuesday, June 13th, for Internet for All: Massachusetts Broadband & Digital Equity Summit, an event organized by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI). The event included talks and panels featuring community executives, government officials, labor representatives, industry speakers, and broadband and digital equity experts who spoke about best practices to deliver affordable, reliable high-speed internet access to citizens across Massachusetts.
