Verizon Announces New Digital Inclusion Program in Eight States and DC

With support from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Verizon announced a new program to provide access to wireless broadband data and voice services to underserved communities in Massachusetts and eight neighboring states plus the District of Columbia. Verizon will provide turnkey connectivity, devices and other solutions available to eligible families who lack access to the internet. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts joins the Georgia Department of Education in Verizon’s program of sponsor-state agreements with state agencies and not-for-profit organizations to enable communities to provide low-income residents with internet access in a fast, simple way. Under the Massachusetts agreement, state agencies or not-for-profit organizations in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington (DC) can participate in this program. Eligible users of services in these states include those who participate in the National School Lunch Program, Pell Grant recipients, or members of households with an income that is lower than 135 percent of the income designated by the Federal Poverty Guidelines. This digital inclusion program is modeled after the Verizon Distance Learning program, which provided access to reliable, affordable Internet connections and solutions for more than 38 million students in 40 states and the District of Columbia during the pandemic.