September 2022

Massachusetts Broadband Institute and Baker-Polito Administration Announce Two New Digital Equity Programs

The Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), a division of the MassTech Collaborative, and the Baker-Polito Administration are proud to announce the launch of two new programs focused on bridging digital equity gaps in the Commonwealth: the Digital Equity Partnerships Program and the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program.

The national broadband rollout has a blind spot: Lack of accurate, transparent data about internet access speeds

Unlike other advertisements for goods and services, there are no federally set standards for measuring broadband service speeds. This means there is no clear way to tell whether customers are getting what they pay for. To protect consumers, the FCC will need to invest in building a set of broadband speed measures, maps, and public data repositories that enables researchers to access and analyze what the public actually experiences when people purchase broadband connectivity.

FCC Announces Data Specifications for Bulk Fixed Availability Challenge and Crowdsource Data

The Federal Communications Commission announces the release of Data Specifications for Bulk Fixed Availability Challenge and Crowdsource Data, which provides guidance as to the requirements in the FCC's rules and orders for filing bulk challenges, as well as bulk crowdsource information, to the fixed broadband availability data that will be published on the FCC’s Broadband Maps as part of the new Broadband Data Collection (BDC). The Data Specifications for Bulk Fixed Availability Challenge and Crowdsource Data, which also explains how to make the required filings in the BDC system, is avail

Biden-⁠Harris Administration Makes “Back to School” Drive to Help Students and Families Get Free High-Speed Internet

As America’s kids get back to school and continue to recover from the challenges of the pandemic, ensuring that all families have access to affordable high-speed internet is more important than ever. That’s why President Biden and Vice President Harris worked with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to create the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The Biden-Harris Administration’s “Back to School” enrollment drive includes: