Healey-Driscoll Administration Helps Residents Build Digital Skills and Access the Internet with $1.5 Million Grant

WESTBOROUGH, Mass. —  Today, the Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MassTech), announced $1,492,571 in awards to 10 public and affordable housing organizations to help residents access the internet, learn digital skills and make practical use of online tools in their daily lives.

MBI funded the grant through the Retrofit Ancillary Grantee (RANGE) program, a statewide effort to increase digital literacy and internet adoption for this community. The RANGE program serves households that have received upgraded internet service through the Residential Retrofit Program — an initiative focused on modernizing broadband infrastructure in public and affordable housing properties across Massachusetts.

"Everyone deserves the opportunity to succeed in today's economy, and that means having both access to high-speed internet and the skills to use it," said Governor Maura Healey. "These grants will help residents build digital skills, connect to jobs, education and healthcare, and make sure more families can benefit from everything the internet has to offer."

"We're making investments that help people succeed today while strengthening our workforce for tomorrow," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. "By pairing reliable internet access with hands-on digital skills training, these grants will help residents navigate everyday life and open the door to new educational and career opportunities."

"Access to the internet is only part of the equation. A strong economy depends on people having the digital skills to succeed in today's workforce and economy," said Economic Development Secretary Eric Paley. "The RANGE program helps residents build the digital skills they need to pursue new career opportunities, access essential services and fully participate in today's economy."

"The Residential Retrofit and RANGE programs are part of a soup-to-nuts strategy to provide residents with affordable, reliable internet access," said MBI Director Michael Baldino. "After expanding high-speed access in communities across the state, MBI developed a program to help residents in public and affordable housing effectively use the internet. The RANGE program is assisting families, students and older populations leverage basic internet skills.”

Building on its first award announcement in March, the RANGE program has distributed $8.9 million to 45 housing organizations statewide. The U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund supports the RANGE program through the American Rescue Plan Act. This funding enables housing organizations to carry out projects in the following categories: device distribution, digital literacy, digital navigation and tenant coordination, and public space improvements.

The new RANGE awardees are listed below:

For more detailed information, please visit broadband.masstech.org/RANGE.

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 broadband.masstech.org.
 

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