An internet infrastructure program in Massachusetts is bringing public housing units up to speed – whether it’s uploading or downloading. One of the first housing developments to benefit is in Springfield.
With every passing year, a decent internet connection becomes less of a luxury and more of a requirement if you want to work, play and stay connected.
But for residents at Bay Meadow Apartments in Springfield, getting a reliable connection has long been a tall order. Aging infrastructure and costs have thrown up barriers for many of the public housing tenants, with some residents drive out to libraries and other spots for better internet access.
Such trips will be a thing of the past for residents like Luz Ramos, who tells WAMC she’s excited about a special internet retrofit program coming to her building, featuring modern internet speeds and affordability.
“It’s going to open a lot of doors – not only am I going to save money, but I can get internet whenever I want to - I don't have to drive anywhere to go to get the internet,” Ramos said. I'm going to be OK and then a lot of people here are going to be OK – we’re saving money.”
Rolled out by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and in partnership with Aervivo Inc., the “Residential Retrofit Program” will bring high-speed internet infrastructure to 148 households in the city’s Pine Point neighborhood.
While it’s not clear just how old the current infrastructure is, MBI Director and General Counsel Michael Baldino says crews will be replacing “outdated, antiquated internal wiring” that ultimately bars residents from reliable internet service.
“In many cases, federally-subsidized housing may have wiring that’s over 50-years-old,” he explains. “For this program, as long as you haven't had your wiring upgraded within the past five years, they're eligible for support through MBI, through the Residential Retrofit [Program].”
Baldino says Aervivo will provide income-eligible broadband plans of 100 megabits per second to residents, which means free service for many over the next five years. There’s also a $19-a-month option for 1,000 mbps.
According to the MBI, a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, a public agency, the installation work in Springfield marks the first housing development to get connected through the Residential Retrofit Program, which launched in 2024.
To mark the occasion, residents and officials gathered on June 2 to throw the switch on the project – complete with a fake lever.
According to Baldino, $14 million has already been committed to retrofitting 8,000 units in western Massachusetts. A list of participants on the MBI website shows properties in Williamstown, Pittsfield, Greenfield and Holyoke among them.
The Preservation of Affordable Housing group, which runs Bay Meadow, is one of the program's biggest participants, with at least 1,477 households in 13 municipalities participating in the Residential Retrofit Program, the MBI says.
It’s all part of a broader, $39 million committed to retrofitting 27,000 units of affordable housing – with more to come via the $82 Million program.
Much of that money comes by way of the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund, via the American Rescue Plan Act.
One of ARPA’s architects, Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal of the 1st district, spoke to how essential connecting residents to the digital economy can be.
“The digital economy, I think, is, in many ways, a civil right - people are going to need it for access,” he said. “Young children are going to talk - unfortunately, for some of us who are a little bit older - they talk as though everything's digitized… it’s a little bit of a learning curve, but we’re up to the task!”
Ramos says once connected, the high-speed internet service will be a boon for her as well as the many other parents and grandparents living at Bay Meadow. There’s also the savings, too - Ramos expects to save at least $105 a month with the new service.
Having recently completed a GED program, she says better internet would have been helpful during that process, but at the rate things are going – the retrofit will be in time for some of her next goals.
“I'm going to start doing a lot of studying because I may be going to college,” she told reporters. “… doors are starting to open up - I'm going to walk right through them!”
According to the MBI and Healey administration, the program is showing no signs of stopping. In late-May the MassTech division and governor’s office announced another $22.2 million in grant funding had been awarded - with plans to upgrade access at nearly 16,000 units in 54 communities.
Buildings in Springfield, Chicopee, Ludlow and East Longmeadow are among the recipients, including over 2,200 Springfield Housing Authority units.
