News
A recent round of announced grant funding in Massachusetts aims to connect thousands of remote and rural locations statewide.
By: Brad Randall, Broadband Communities
More than $45 million in grant funding has been awarded to connect thousands of locations in over 40 communities across the Massachusetts.
The grants, awarded through the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Program, will go towards connecting homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions, according to the Massachusetts Broadband Institute, which operates as the state’s broadband office.
Amounting to $45.4 million in total, the grants will be met by $40 million in matching funds, according to a July 2 release from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI).
Commenting on the grants, Governor Maura Healey thanked the state’s federal partners and the U.S. Treasury for delivering the funding, which was supplied to the state through the Capital Projects Fund (CPF).
“Our administration is committed to closing the digital divide and ensuring every home and business in the state has the internet connectivity they need to fully participate in a 21st century economy,” Healey said.
Comcast, Greenfield Community Energy and Technology, Spectrum Northeast LLC, and Verizon New England Inc. were listed as recipients of the grants, according to the MBI’s release.
“The close collaboration with these organizations, coupled with the support from the municipalities themselves, is paramount to the success of these projects,” said MBI Director Michael Baldino.
Baldino, who was quoted in the release, said the state is committed to a quick and efficient construction process “to ensure that the residents at these 2,000-plus locations get the same level of broadband access that many of us take for granted.”
Communities to be impacted by the grants include municipalities across the state, including those in Southeastern Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts, and communities on Cape Cod and the Islands, according to the MBI’s announcement.
Projects associated with the grants have been given a Dec. 31, 2026 deadline to reach a status of “substantial completion,” according to the MBI release.
The application process for a second round of grant funding through the state’s Broadband Infrastructure Gap Networks Program closed on July 2, the MBI’s release stated.
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