Mass. to receive $45M from feds for broadband

Associated Press
July 2, 2010

Massachusetts is set to receive $45 million in federal stimulus dollars to expand broadband access in the largely rural western part of the state.

The $45 million grant will be matched with an additional $26 million to deliver affordable, high speed Internet access. The grant calls for constructing more than 1,300 miles of new fiber.

The Massachusetts Technology Park, which received the grant, estimates that the project will create hundreds of jobs.

The project could improve Internet access for more than 1 million residents and thousands of businesses.

Gov. Deval Patrick welcomed the influx of dollars saying communities in western and north-central Massachusetts have gone without reliable high speed broadband service for too long.

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