Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $9 Million in Community Compact Grants to Municipalities and School Districts
Forty-three grants awarded through the Municipal Fiber grant program
BOSTON –The Healey-Driscoll administration today announced $9 million in grants through the Community Compact Municipal Fiber grant program, more than double the amount awarded in the previous cycle. These grants will benefit 53 municipalities and school districts across Massachusetts, including multiple rural communities, to support the construction or completion of their municipal fiber networks.
These grants will help close critical gaps that exist in municipal networks.
“Connectivity and technology are critical for local governments to deliver the types of services our constituents expect. Our ability to grow this program and provide necessary investment for our cities and towns across Massachusetts demonstrates our commitment to partnering with communities to improve their IT infrastructure,” Governor Maura Healey said.
“I know firsthand the importance of building out municipal IT infrastructure and the challenge it can represent for municipalities with limited resources initiatives. That’s why this program is such an important part of how our administration is working to support our cities and towns,” Lieutenant Governor Kimberley Driscoll said. “I want to congratulate the award winners and thank all those involved for their continued commitment to their communities.”
The Municipal Fiber Grant Program offers competitive grants to support the closing of critical gaps that exist in municipal networks. Awards are focused on connecting municipality-owned facilities and assisting municipalities in achieving critical goals associated with municipal fiber networks, including protection from the growing risk of cyber security exploits targeting local government, the expansion of remote work and meeting the expectations of constituents who enjoy the convenience of interacting with government online.
These grants can be particularly helpful to smaller and more rural communities that lack the resources and infrastructure to meet their information technology needs.
“The grants announced today will empower communities to maximize technology to make local government more efficient and cost effective,” Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz said. “We are pleased to be able to double our investment in this space and support the cities, towns and school districts working to make these important upgrades that may otherwise be unaffordable.”
“The Municipal Fiber Grant continues to be a remarkable success in Massachusetts. As I meet with municipal IT leaders, I frequently hear from local officials who have benefited from the program. Connecting municipal assets on a fiber network allows for a centralized management of IT infrastructure, which in turns allows for enhanced management of cybersecurity,” Technology Services and Security Secretary Jason Snyder said. “The Municipal Fiber Grant Program has provided tangible benefits to our communities and is moving Massachusetts forward by making our cities and towns more resilient.”
With the expansion of the Municipal Fiber grant program in FY24 from $4 million to $9 million, the Healey-Driscoll administration was able to provide funding to nearly all communities that submitted applications. In total, $26.2 million has been awarded since Fiscal Year 2022. These are competitive grants of amounts up to $250,000, or $500,000 if multijurisdictional.
Examples of the grants include the following:
- Acushnet - $230,000 to connect various municipal facilities to the existing municipal fiber network
- Medford - $191,470 to help create a city-owned municipal fiber network
- Yarmouth - $236,151 to replace the towns outdated and failing iNet infrastructure
- Southbridge - $250,000 to create a town-owned municipal fiber network
- Lawrence - $250,000 to expand the city’s fiber optic infrastructure
- Easthampton - $250,000 to extend the municipal fiber optic network to include all city water wells and tanks
- Dover - $202,168 to connect three existing radio sites with fiber cable
- Grafton - $27,000 to install Wifi hotspots in four public parks connected to the municipal fiber optic network
For a full list of awardees and projects, click here.
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