Comcast dominated the grant awards announced today by the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) in the Gap Networks Grant Program.
Comcast Cable Communications Management won $11,317, 283 in broadband awards for construction in 93 Massachusetts communities. Verizon New England received $1,353,959 for broadband construction in three towns.
“The pandemic, in particular, showed us how disparities in internet availability and affordability translate to differences in how people participate in and access critical services,” Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey said in the announcement of the Massachusetts broadband awards.
The Comcast awards are for broadband network construction in Abington, Andover, Ashby, Ayer, Barnstable, Bedford, Bellingham, Billerica, Blackstone, Bolton, Bourne, Bridgewater, Brockton, Buckland, Carlisle, Carver, Chelmsford, Conway, Danvers, Dracut, Duxbury, East Bridgewater, Essex, Franklin, Gardner, Georgetown, Gill, Granby, Groveland, Hatfield, Haverhill, Holliston, Hopedale, Huntington, Ipswich, Kingston, Lancaster, Lowell, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Marlborough, Marshfield, Medway, Merrimac, Methuen, Middlefield, Millis, Montague, Montgomery, Needham, Newbury, Newburyport, Northampton, Northfield, Norton, Norwell, Orleans, Pembroke, Phillipston, Plainville, Plymouth, Plympton, Rehoboth, Rockport, Russell, Salem, Sharon, Shelburne, Shirley, Sudbury, Sunderland, Swansea, Tewksbury, Topsfield, Truro, Walpole, Watertown, Westford, Westhampton, Westminster, Weston, Weymouth, Whately, Williamsburg, Winchendon, and Woburn.
Verizon New England received awards for broadband network construction Eastham, Millville, and Templeton.
This is the second grant announcement by the MBI of the past several weeks and the second win for Comcast Cable Communications Management. On December 17, Aervivo, Greenfield Community Energy Technology, and Comcast were approved for more than $6 million in awards to upgrade broadband in 3,512 public and affordable housing units across nine Massachusetts communities.
The Gap Networks Program is part of the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. It provides broadband to areas without service.
Additional information about Massachusetts broadband, including state funding resources, awards made, and state-specific coverage, can be found on the Telecompetitor Broadband Nation webpage for the state.
