Boston Council Committee Advances $4.55 Million Digital Equity Broadband Grant

BOSTON — August 29, 2023 — Boston's city council committee advanced a $4.55 million digital equity grant that would fund broadband access, Wi-Fi expansion, and telehealth programming across the city. The Committee on City Services and Innovation Technology, chaired by Councillor Brian Worrell and joined by Councillor Erin J. Murphy and Council President Edward M. Flynn, held a hearing Tuesday on Docket No. 1196, which authorizes the city to accept American Rescue Plan Act funds through the Massachusetts Broadband Institute's Digital Equity Partnerships Program. The largest share of the grant — 63 percent, totaling just over $2.4 million — would be distributed to approximately 70 community-based organizations through the city's Digital Equity Fund, with $500,000 earmarked for telehealth programming and $100,000 for device refurbishment. DoIT Digital Equity Advocate Peter Favorito told the committee the city currently has more than 44,000 households enrolled in the Affordable Connectivity Program, which offers a $30-per-month internet discount, and that the grant would fund two additional rounds of enrollment outreach. The grant also covers four to five new Wicked Free Wi-Fi mesh-network sites targeting high-need neighborhoods near transit hubs.