$100K grant boosting internet for public housing residents
Once the systems are in place, residents can buy internet for $15.99 per month.
Public housing residents are set for an internet boost thanks to a roughly $100,000 state grant.
People would have to opt in — and it will cost them a discounted fee. Housing leaders say it’s still an upgrade from the status quo, as tenants can currently get internet only from big-name providers.
The cash comes via the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. In Acton, Housing Authority Executive Director Jennifer Polito said staff are working with Aervivo Inc. to place equipment at the Everett Gardens, Everett Gardens Expansion, and Peter Bulkeley Terrace senior housing facilities. Family sites on Bedford Street, Powder Mill Road, and Strawberry Hill Road are also involved.
Once the systems are in place, residents can buy internet for $15.99 per month.
Polito said the internet is a daily necessity, noting remote municipal meetings, virtual doctors’ appointments, and widespread use of email.
In cell coverage dead zones, the internet lets people make emergency calls. Polito said upgrades will also save CHA money on a planned security system.
She said some residents might switch providers once Aervivo arrives. Some older tenants aren’t connected, and “this could likely bring some of them” online.
“The upgrade demonstrates another step towards providing internet connectivity throughout the whole town,” CHA Board Chair Stephan Bader told The Acton Bridge in an email.
Polito said systems will power up in early 2026.
