Biden-Harris Administration Approves Massachusetts Internet Expansion Proposal
BOSTON — Last week, 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,” Gov. Maura Healey said. “This proposal will help Massachusetts close the digital divide by bringing high-speed internet to all.”
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 in line 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,” Executive Office of Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao said. “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.”
BEAD funding will target projects identified through Massachusetts’ BEAD Challenge, an initiative 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.
In total, Massachusetts is set to receive more than $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.
