People living in nearly 300 public housing units in Hampshire County will be connected to reliable, high-speed internet through a $31.55 million investment by the state, improving access for 13,700 Massachusetts households in 60 cities and towns.
In the latest round of the $82 million Residential Retrofit Program announced last week, the Healey-Driscoll administration and Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Massachusetts Broadband Institute are providing four internet service providers the money to increase internet access for residents at low- and moderate-income properties where there is inadequate wiring and related infrastructure.
Specifically, the work includes installing fiberoptic or CAT6 internet infrastructure, customer home-based equipment and Wi-Fi service. The upgrades aim to increase connectivity, reduce cost burdens and improve digital access for low-income residents.
“This program is about enhancing broadband connectivity for residents statewide,” Massachusetts Interim Economic Development Secretary Ashley Stolba said in a statement. “With this funding, we’re making sure low-income residents have the same access to essential services, opportunities and tools as everyone else, leading to a more connected and advanced economy.”
The idea that the same level of connectivity is offered to those in public and affordable housing is critical, said Massachusetts Broadband Institute Director Michael Baldino.
“This funding helps level the playing field and connects families to everything from telehealth to remote learning,” Baldino said.
The largest award to an internet service provider is going to Aervivo Inc., receiving $10.53 million for 6,402 housing units, including most of those in Hampshire County. The company’s Connectivity Platform enables partners to deploy fiber-grade hybrid networks to small and large communities, and will offer income-eligible broadband plans of at least 100 megabits per second download and upload speeds, and up to 1,000 megabits per second for both downloads and uploads. Aervivo will provide Wi-Fi in community areas, optional bulk service rates and digital skills training as community benefits.
In Northampton, 33 households in a Community Builders Inc. property will benefit, with another 40 in an Easthampton Community Builders property, and 200 in Greenfield. An additional 60 housing units in Easthampton managed by Beacon Residential Management Limited Partnership will see the upgrades. Finally, the Amherst Housing Authority properties are benefiting, with 110 of these units in Amherst, 40 in Hadley and 48 in Belchertown.
Previously, the program awarded $6.3 million last December and $10.4 million in March, before making a $22.26 million commitment in May.
During that last round in the spring, internet access upgrades were announced for 15,793 affordable housing units across 54 communities. Benefiting from the investment in Aervivo were 177 units in Easthampton and 117 units in Northampton, both under the Northampton Housing Authority, Easthampton Housing Authority and Hampshire County Regional Housing, and 148 units in Amherst at the Winn Properties’s owned Clark House.
In that round, Comcast, which operates one of the largest fiber networks in the nation, was provided money as an internet service provider. Comcast would offer income-eligible broadband plans of at least 100 megabits per second download and upload speeds for each property it serves. Comcast will also provide digital literacy or navigation and Wi-Fi in public spaces as community benefits.
The 26 units benefiting are in Huntington, overseen by the Northampton Housing Authority, Easthampton Housing Authority and Hampshire County Regional Housing Authority.
The Residential Retrofit Program is funded by U.S. Treasury Department’s Capital Projects Fund through the American Rescue Plan Act. The program prioritizes projects in federally designated Qualified Census Tracts and properties with high percentages of deed-restricted affordable housing.
Beyond infrastructure upgrades, the Residential Retrofit Program is also supporting internet adoption in affordable housing through the newly launched $8 million Retrofit Ancillary Grantee program, which will provide grants to housing operators that have participated in previous rounds of the Residential Retrofit Program. RANGE grants will support the adoption of the newly retrofitted properties through digital navigation, digital literacy, tenant coordination and public space improvements.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.