Celebrating First Residential Retrofit Program "Go Live" with Bay Meadows | | MBI team pictured at Bay Meadow Apartments for the Monday, June 2, "Go Live" event. | | |
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Bay Meadow Apartments in Springfield is the first property in the Residential Retrofit Program to complete all wiring upgrades, providing residents with free broadband access. The program provides grants to service providers to modernize outdated infrastructure in public and affordable housing to deliver reliable, high-speed internet to residents. The project at Bay Meadows was completed by Aervivo. Preservation for Affordable Housing Inc. is offering free internet service for five years to residents at this site. Residents now enjoy speeds of 100 megabits per second.
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| | RANGE Cycle 2 Opens Tuesday, September 16 | |
The Retrofit Ancillary Grantee (RANGE) Program recently closed its first cycle, with Cycle 2 scheduled to open on Tuesday, September 16. This $8 million grant initiative supports eligible housing operators in the Residential Retrofit Program with devices, digital literacy courses, resident coordination, digital navigators, and additional resources. The RANGE Program was created to ensure residents of newly retrofitted buildings can fully benefit from improved broadband service.
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| | Final Call for Housing Operators | |
MBI is currently enrolling housing operators for the final round of the Residential Retrofit Program. Check out this website to see if your properties are missing from the map.
Expression of Interest (EOI) forms are due by Thursday, July 31. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to future proof broadband infrastructure in public and affordable housing for decades to come. Please email MBI Associate Director of Ecosystem and Programs Kathryn Downes if you’d like an introductory meeting.
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On Friday, June 6, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a Policy Notice that enacts updates to the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program. MBI will be required to implement significant changes to the Subgrantee Selection Process to align with the requirements in the new Policy Notice. MBI issued the notice for Unlicensed Fixed Wireless Providers and posted an updated BEAD Qualification Guide. Currently, we expect to open the required Benefit of the Bargain grant solicitation in early July.
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| MBI Celebrates Pride Month | |
Internet for All means digital empowerment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) Massachusetts residents. MBI is a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community and recognizes the over 70 organizations serving LGBTQ+ identifying individuals as listed in the Massachusetts Digital Asset Inventory.
“Digital access is especially important for LGBTQ+ elders. It connects them with people they might never meet otherwise, across distance, across difference," said Executive Director of Little Brothers Friends of the Elderly and Outstanding Life Board Member Cynthia Wilkerson.
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| Storytelling as a Key Part of Digital Access Work | |
MBI brought partners from the Digital Equity Partnerships Program together on Tuesday, June 17 for a hands-on storytelling workshop designed to turn impact into inspiration. The workshop was led by Alrie McNiff-Daniels, an independent communications strategist. With annual reports on the horizon, organizations learned how to bring their work to life; highlighting resident voices, community wins and the everyday moments that drive digital empowerment forward. These annual reports will be published later this year to celebrate the progress and people behind Massachusetts' digital empowerment efforts.
READ ABOUT THE PARTNERS HERE
| Do You Have a Story to Share? | |
The MBI team is proud to celebrate its digital empowerment ecosystem partners. We invite organizations to share their community impact stories. These stories could highlight a person, project or community group. If your organization receives MBI funding and has helped individuals bridge the digital divide, MBI wants to hear from you.
Email MBI at broadband@masstech.org and share your story.
| | Ecosystem Updates / Events | | Save the Date: Bringing the Ecosystem Together on Wednesday, October 8 | |
This year, MBI is hosting its second statewide convening event to celebrate the growing digital empowerment ecosystem and showcase progress in our mission to achieve Internet for All.
Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 8 in Worcester. Stay tuned for important announcements regarding award nominations.
| | Sen. Markey Hosts Listening Session on the Impacts of Termination of Digital Equity Act Funding | |
On Wednesday June 4, Senator Edward J. Markey hosted a virtual listening session to hear from digital access advocates about the impacts of the federal administration’s efforts to cut funding for digital equity programs in Massachusetts and across the country. More than 200 digital equity champions from across the state joined the Senator’s listening session to share their stories. MBI Director and General Counsel Michael Baldino and Ameelio CEO April Feng provided opening remarks.
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| | Massachusetts Digital Equity Coalition and Digital Equity Partners Hosted an Event at the State House | |
The Alliance for Digital Equity, Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Tech Goes Home, and Vinfen hosted Mass Digital Equity Day at the State House on Wednesday, June 25. The day included a legislative briefing highlighting key bills focused on internet affordability, digital navigator credentialing, and telehealth parity. Leaders also met with legislators to discuss bills and impact on local residents.
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| | MBI Residential Retrofit Program Brings High-Speed Internet to Affordable Housing in Springfield | |
WAMC Northeast Public Radio's Midday Magazine covered MBI's Residential Retrofit Program announcement in Springfield on Monday, June 2.
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| | Digital Literacy Courses for Older Adults Launched in Dalton | |
The Berkshire Eagle highlighted the launch of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's digital literacy courses, supported through MBI’s Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program.
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| | Spotlighting Aervivo's Work at Bay Meadow Apartments | |
After MBI's Monday, June 2 Residential Retrofit "Go Live" event, MBI Director of Program Development Josh Eichen visited Bay Meadows to highlight how MBI is working to bring high-speed and more affordable internet to public and low-income housing residents in Massachusetts. Residential Retrofit Round III awardee Aervivo was on-site to make key improvements.
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