Massachusetts Get Internet
Every home in the Commonwealth will have access to reasonably priced,
dependable high-speed internet thanks to the efforts of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI).
In the twenty-first century, the need for broadband is frequently compared to the need for electricity or phone service in earlier centuries. An essential component of a competitive economy is connectivity. Digital inclusion and broadband are crucial for our future prosperity and are necessary for us to fully engage in today's society. When Internet for All is achieved, everyone in the Commonwealth will be able to reach their full potential and participate fully in their communities.
PLAN
Program for Digital
Equity Partnerships
Program Overview
The $50 million Broadband Innovation Fund was created as part of the Commonwealth's COVID response and recovery efforts to help close the digital divide. MBI aims to identify ten to fifteen Partners who are suitable organizations capable of carrying out a range of digital equity initiatives that satisfy the objectives mentioned in the state's laws.
It will be expected of partners to collaborate on
digital equity
projects as sub-awardees with groups like community development corporations (CDCs), community-based organizations (CBOs), public housing authorities, municipalities and municipal agencies, community colleges, local and regional school districts, healthcare and telehealth organizations (including federally qualified community health centers), and other organizations.
Eligibility
✔ Agencies for Regional Planning,
✔ Charitable foundations,
✔ Providers of nonprofit and public services,
✔ Other charitable organizations with a distinct target audience in terms of geography or specialized field.
Areas of Program
WiFi Access Project
Free, in-unit broadband use is offered by WiFi systems in low-income neighborhoods and affordable (public housing or otherwise subsidized by federal or state sources) multi-unit buildings. In order to determine which properties' occupants face an adoption or affordability barrier to a household broadband subscription, partners will collaborate with public housing officials, developers of affordable housing, and other property owners. Other obstacles to adoption include difficulties with literacy, lack of necessary paperwork for internet service enrollment, affordability and financial worries, and language barriers.
Initiative to Modernize Public Space Internet
Enhancements to insufficient internet infrastructure and the utilization of digital media in public areas to augment daily utilization and amenities. Partners will award grants to organizations that offer public internet access to space users as a service, either now or in the future due to advancements in broadband. Libraries, community centers, senior centers, schools, places for workforce training, commercial corridors, and other places that cater to the target populations are examples of these entities. They can also highlight the need for better public infrastructure that satisfies the program's objectives.
Campaign for Digital Literacy
To guarantee that target populations have the necessary abilities to use gadgets, internet resources, and digital tools to the required effect, establish and implement digital literacy training programs. Along the continuum of digital literacy, which spans from basic computer schools to digital navigator and digital stewardship models, partners will collaborate with sub-awardees such as community based organizations (CBOs), community colleges, healthcare providers, libraries, senior centers, councils on aging (COAs), educational entities, youth groups, and other organizations that serve the target population to determine the appropriate scale of training that meets the needs of the end user.