BOSTON, Mass. – The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is now accepting applications for the deployment of $147 million in funding to deliver high-speed internet access to cities and towns across Massachusetts through the national Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program.
Through this deployment phase of the BEAD Program, MBI will identify and contract with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and other qualified entities, such as local governmental entities, Native American tribes, nonprofit organizations, and other entities that develop and operate broadband networks, to use program funds to connect locations unserved or underserved by broadband to high-speed internet. These locations were previously identified through the BEAD Challenge Process that MBI led on behalf of the state last summer and have since been approved as eligible for BEAD funding by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the federal agency working to expand access through the Internet for All initiative.
“NTIA has been a key partner in helping Massachusetts determine a strategic path forward for internet access and adoption,” said Massachusetts Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao, chair of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative Board. “This is a significant step towards bridging the digital divide in our state and ensuring all communities have the access needed to participate in the digital economy.”
“The Massachusetts Broadband Institute is encouraging ISPs across the state to apply for BEAD deployment funding to close broadband access gaps,” said MBI Director Michael Baldino. “We have made immense progress in bringing our state close to achieving 100% access to high-speed internet. We want to thank NTIA for helping Massachusetts get across the finish line with the BEAD grant awards that will be made in 2025.”
Applicants must submit their funding applications to MBI by Friday, February 28.
The BEAD Program awards will build upon the foundation of prior state and federal investments by MBI and the Executive Office of Economic Development that have brought Massachusetts to 99% statewide coverage, which includes awards made under the state-funded Last Mile Grant Programs and the federally funded Gap Networks Program. For more information on the BEAD program in Massachusetts visit broadband.masstech.org/bead-program.
About the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech
A division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is working to extend high-speed internet access and availability across the state. To achieve this, MBI uses state and federal funding to launch infrastructure expansion programs that target areas of the state that lack high-speed internet access as well as digital equity programs that tackle barriers to internet adoption and increase availability, addressing critical issues around affordability, enhanced public Wi-Fi, the need for internet-enabled devices, and digital literacy training.
Learn more at https://broadband.masstech.org.
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