Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito announced a broadband expansion initiative to provide high-speed Internet access for residents and private business in Western Massachusetts, according to a Wednesday press release.
Baker and Polito said in the release their administration will contribute up to $50 million to the Massachusetts Broadband Institute for its broadband initiative aiming to narrow the gap in high-speed Internet access across Massachusetts. The state funds will be used to boost regional private investment and entrepreneurial activities, the release stated.
Samantha Ormsby, communications coordinator of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development in Massachusetts, said in an email this will encourage residents’ and business’ participation in the current digital economy.
“We will be one step closer toward closing the digital divide that for too long has put them on the sidelines of our digital economy,” Ormsby said. “For our economy to thrive, it is important to have an all-inclusive approach that invests in our regional economies and spurs local economic development.”
The broadband expansion will be enacted in 45 cities and towns in Western and Central Massachusetts that have been lacking in sufficient residential cable or broadband access, relying on digital subscriber lines (DSL) or dial-up technologies. The problem will be addressed by providing a regional fiber-to-the-home network to towns currently without residential broadband services, the release stated.
The 45 cities and towns include Blandford, New Braintree, Otis, West Stockbridge, Royalston and Hinsdale, according to data provided by Ormsby.
The Massachusetts Broadband Institute, a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, will use the designated state funds to finish the constructions of the “Last Mile” project. This project will eventually bring high-speed broadband Internet directly to homes and businesses, thus bridging the “last mile.”
Addressing the “Last Mile” challenge will not only “level the playing field for Western Mass residents and businesses to participate in our digital economy,” Ormsby said.
The initiative serves to become a catalyst for innovation and entrepreneurial activity to drive the state’s economy, the release stated.
The “Last Mile” project is built off MBI’s MassBroadband 123 project, which covered 1,200 miles of fiber-optic network in approximately 120 towns across Western and Central Massachusetts. MassBroadband 123 has connected public institutions, such as libraries and town halls, to sufficient high-speed Internet access, the release stated.
MassBroadband 123, also known as “Middle Mile,” is the backbone of “Last Mile” and will help MBI reach sufficient Internet access to un-served homes and businesses in Western and Central Massachusetts, according to their website.
Rhonda Siciliano, public affairs specialist at U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in New England (HUD), said the State’s initiative aligns with what HUD is currently working on, including a plan to expand broadband to low-income families.
“HUD has similar initiatives like these from national government,” she said. “The president tries to expand broadband to low-income families, so that’s something we’re working for.”
Locally, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh has also made moves toward expanding Wi-Fi access. The City of Boston’s Department of Innovation and Technology launched a program called “Wicked Free WiFi: Boston’s Public Wireless Network” in April 2014 that made wireless service available through 170 access points around Boston including parks and schools, The Daily Free Press reported.
Several residents said they are supportive of the initiative and that it is a step in the right direction toward further development.
Jose Aravena, 41, of Dorchester, said the initiative will further connect the residents of Massachusetts.
“I do hope that Massachusetts would be better integrated for people to get around and communicate and make sure everyone’s on the same page,” he said. “Everyone needs fast access to the web now ‘cause it has dominate our lives. In terms of businesses, Internet is key. People do transactions online now, and it generates fast return.”
Douglas Vinitsky, 38, of Dorchester, he hopes the funds for the initiative are allocated from appropriate places.
“It depends on what you consider to allocate it to. If it’s allocated for education … education is paramount,” he said. “I just don’t think you should take the money out from fixing road budgets or medical expenses or from things that are not supposed to fund this program.”
Vinitsky said the initiative could also increase youth productivity.
“Not a lot of younger people go to the library anymore, and it’s more productive to do things off the web,” he said. “Papers, they’re not periodical anymore. It’s a need to have a high-speed Internet.”
Kadeesha Howard, 24, of Mattapan, said the initiative will serve what the people need.
“In this day and age, technology is everything. From paying for food to even getting gas, everything’s almost electronically recorded or stored someway somehow,” she said. “So to not get high-speed Internet is kind of shooting local residents in the foot. If it’s going towards generating revenues and making people spend money and expanding small businesses, then that’s what we need right now. We need jobs created. If high-speed Internet is going to initiate that, then so be it.”
