The Healey-Driscoll administration and the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s (MassTech) Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) recently announced $22,260,701 in grants to upgrade internet access for 15,793 affordable housing units across 54 communities in Massachusetts. MBI provided the awards through the Residential Retrofit Program, an initiative that works with housing operators and internet service providers (ISPs) to upgrade broadband infrastructure in public and affordable housing properties.
A new round of funding for that same program is currently available with more information here.
The recently-announced projects will install modern fiber-optic cables in public and affordable housing properties that will increase residents’ access to high-quality, reliable and affordable broadband service.
The award announcement is the third and largest round for the $82 million Residential Retrofit Program, which engages with housing operators and internet service providers (ISPs) across Massachusetts. So far, the program has awarded $16.7 million in funding, including $6.3 million in December 2024 and $10.4 million in March 2025.
The Residential Retrofit Program partners with ISPs that are committed to providing high-speed access at an affordable rate for residents. Beyond infrastructure upgrades, the Residential Retrofit Program is also supporting internet adoption in affordable housing through the newly launched $8 million Retrofit Ancillary Grantee (RANGE) Program. The RANGE Program will provide grants to housing operators that have participated in previous rounds of the Residential Retrofit Program. RANGE grants will support the adoption of the newly retrofitted properties through digital navigation, digital literacy, tenant coordination and public space improvements.
Funding for both programs comes from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund through the American Rescue Plan Act.
Listed below are the providers and public housing operators receiving awards in this round of the Program:
Aervivo Inc. ($20,113,689 for 15,063 housing units)
Aervivo Inc.’s Connectivity Platform enables partners to deploy fiber-grade hybrid networks to small and large communities across the state. In its proposal for the Residential Retrofit Program, Aervivo Inc. offered income-eligible broadband plans of at least 100Mbps/100Mbps and up to 1000Mbps/1000Mbps within each property it serves. Aervivo will also offer multiple community benefits including devices for residents, digital literacy classes, free Wi-Fi in public areas and open access network options.
| Organization | Municipality | Total Units |
| Acushnet Housing Authority | Acushnet | 60 |
| Adams Housing Authority | Adams | 64 |
| Amesbury Housing Authority | Amesbury | 256 |
| Arlington Housing Authority | Arlington | 694 |
| Boston Housing Authority | Boston | 499 |
| Carabetta Properties | Worcester | 1213 |
| Carr Properties | East Longmeadow | 172 |
| Carr Properties | Wilbraham | 44 |
| Father Bill’s & Mainspring | Hingham | 14 |
| Father Bill’s & Mainspring | Quincy | 99 |
| Foxborough Housing Authority | Foxborough | 40 |
| Haverhill, Groveland, Georgetown and Topsfield Housing Authority | Groveland | 58 |
| Haverhill, Groveland, Georgetown and Topsfield Housing Authority | Haverhill | 492 |
| Hearthway Inc. | Adams | 39 |
| Hearthway Inc. | Lee | 108 |
| Hearthway Inc. | North Adams | 81 |
| Hearthway Inc. | Williamstown | 41 |
| Home City Development | Springfield | 261 |
| Leicester Housing Authority | Leicester | 124 |
| Lowell Housing Authority | 1616 | |
| Merrimac Housing Authority | Merrimac | 52 |
| NeighborWorks Housing Solutions Properties | Quincy | 114 |
| NeighborWorks Housing Solutions Properties | Weymouth | 4 |
| Newton Housing Authority | Newton | 84 |
| North Shore CDC | Salem | 61 |
| Northampton Housing Authority, Easthampton Housing Authority, Hampshire County Regional Housing Authority | Easthampton | 177 |
| Northampton Housing Authority, Easthampton Housing Authority, Hampshire County Regional Housing Authority | Northampton | 117 |
| Pine Street Inn Inc. | Boston | 183 |
| Pine Street Inn Inc. | Brookline | 73 |
| Preservation of Affordable Housing | Attleboro | 135 |
| Preservation of Affordable Housing | Chicopee | 50 |
| Quincy Housing Authority | Hingham | 94 |
| Quincy Housing Authority | Quincy | 428 |
| Scituate Housing Authority | Scituate | 249 |
| Somerset Housing Authority | Somerset | 135 |
| Somerville Community Corporation | Somerville | 161 |
| Springfield Housing Authority | Springfield | 2202 |
| Swansea Housing Authority | Swansea | 64 |
| Trinity Financial | Worcester | 527 |
| Walpole Housing Authority | Walpole | 12 |
| Winn Properties | Amherst | 148 |
| Winn Properties | Attleboro | 91 |
| Winn Properties | Brookline | 309 |
| Winn Properties | Cambridge | 240 |
| Winn Properties | Fall River | 97 |
| Winn Properties | Lowell | 532 |
| Winn Properties | Ludlow | 75 |
| Winn Properties | Lynn | 117 |
| Winn Properties | Malden | 226 |
| Winn Properties | New Bedford | 222 |
| Winn Properties | Newburyport | 101 |
| Winn Properties | Peabody | 284 |
| Winn Properties | Quincy | 140 |
| Winn Properties | Revere | 92 |
| Winn Properties | Springfield | 531 |
| Winn Properties | Walpole | 300 |
| Winn Properties | Westfield | 84 |
| Winn Properties | Worcester | 546 |
| Worcester Common Ground | Worcester | 31 |
Comcast Cable Communications ($1,100,200 for 485 housing units)
Comcast operates one of the largest fiber networks in the nation. In addition to an all-fiber backbone, Comcast has consistently added and expanded fiber throughout the portion of its network that directly serves customers. Comcast offered income-eligible broadband plans of at least 100Mbps/100Mbps for each property it serves. Comcast will also provide digital literacy or navigation and Wi-Fi in public spaces as community benefits.
| Organization | Municipality | Total Units |
| Acton Housing Authority | Acton | 47 |
| Andover Housing Authority | Andover | 56 |
| Brewster Housing Authority | Brewster | 56 |
| Mashpee Housing Authority | Mashpee | 30 |
| Methuen Housing Authority | Methuen | 76 |
| NeighborWorks Housing Solutions Properties | Brockton | 48 |
| Northampton Housing Authority, Easthampton Housing Authority, Hampshire County Regional Housing Authority | Huntington | 26 |
| Quincy Housing Authority | Hanson | 82 |
| Winn Properties | Framingham | 64 |
RingSquared APC LLC DBA AccessPlus ($1,046,812 for 245 housing units)
RingSquared APC LLC (DBA AccessPlus) will provide its project group with high-speed broadband service delivered over an end-to-end fiber network. In its proposal, RingSquared offered income-eligible broadband plans of at least 500Mbps/500Mbps within each property it serves.
| Organization | Municipality | Total Units |
| Pittsfield Housing Authority | Pittsfield | 245 |
On May 7, 2025, MBI launched Round IV of the Residential Retrofit Program. ISPs may now participate in this current round, which is open through June 10.
Housing operators interested in applying to the next round of the Program may submit an expression of interest form by July 31. For more information, applicants may go to broadband.masstech.org/retrofit.