The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) at MassTech announced the launch of the Residential Internet Retrofit Program, a $22 million statewide initiative to equip public and affordable housing units across the state with high-speed internet for current and future residents.

MBI will bring together Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and property owners to upgrade in-building telecommunications wiring, equipment, and infrastructure within older housing developments to provide residents with the necessary network capabilities to fully utilize high-speed internet service essential for daily activities such as communicating with friends and family, remote work, online educational opportunities, and telehealth appointments.

The effort will involve updating the wiring infrastructure of approximately 22,000 units in affordable housing developments across the state. The funding for the Retrofit Program comes from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund (CPF), a program launched as part of the national American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The project is part of $175 million in total CPF funding overseen by the Executive Office for Administration and Finance to address the digital divide in Massachusetts, which includes the ongoing Gap Networks Grant Program launched by the MBI in October 2023.

Housing operators interested in joining the program should submit an expression of interest via MBI’s online form, which collects basic organizational information, along with the addresses of eligible properties the operator wishes to submit to the program. In spring 2024, the MBI will launch a Request For Information (RFI), which will help inform the launch of a formal Request For Proposal (RFP) later in 2024. The MBI will then issue quarterly RFPs with an updated list of eligible locations statewide, based on the submissions of interest from housing operators.

The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative encourages age- and dementia friendly communities to engage local housing partners to apply.