The City of Boston is investing $5 million in digital equity initiatives to help residents get — and stay — connected. Thanks to new grants from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and the Federal Communications Commission, the city will make strides in providing affordable + reliable internet service for all residents.
Mayor Wu outlined the initiative’s objectives, which include establishing internet wiring standards in affordable housing, expanding the city’s free public Wi-Fi network, and investing in digital literacy programming. All Boston neighborhoods will be assessed for their individual connectivity needs.
“We’re not satisfied with just having the wires there — we’re not even just satisfied with households being connected in,” Mayor Wu said. “It has to be high-quality, it has to be usable, it has to be directly related to improving people’s lives in Boston.”
The next round of applications for the city’s Digital Equity Fund will open Monday, Oct. 2.
