State funding high speed internet expansion for underserved communities

BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) – Governor Healey’s office is providing grant money to give under served communities better internet access.

On Tuesday the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced over $45 million in grant money to extend high-speed internet coverage across the Commonwealth. This program will ensure internet service that meets or exceeds speed standards and that all communities have equal access to broadband. The project is expected to be completed by December 2026.

Grant recipients, Comcast, Greenfield Community Energy and Technology, Spectrum Northeast LLC, and Verizon New England LLC, will expand broadband internet coverage to municipalities across the state including the western Massachusetts communities of Agawam, Amherst, Bernardston, Chicopee, Deerfield, Florida, Greenfield, Hawley, Holyoke, Monroe, Monson, Palmer, Savoy, Springfield, and Ware.

In a news release from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s partner in this grant program, Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao explains that internet access is an equity issue.

“Expanding digital equity is essential to building a healthy economy, to ensure that residents can access broadband service they need work, learn, access healthcare resources, and connect with loved ones,” said Hao.

Also in the news release, Governor Healey noted that internet access is essential for all communities to quote “fully participate in a 21st century economy.” This expansion in internet services is meant to align with the federal “Internet for All” initiative, providing a pathway to close the digital divide.

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