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Date: 7/19/2023
SPRINGFIELD — As part of the city’s efforts to provide affordable and reliable internet to residents, Mayor Domenic Sarno recently announced that his administration would apply for the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program through the Massachusetts Broadband Institute.
Sarno sent a letter dated July 10 to the Massachusetts Broadband Institute that stated, in part, “We recognize the tremendous impact that the digital divide continues to have on our community in myriad ways, from basic access to skills and training, especially among our under-resourced residents and members of the city’s immigrant communities. This Municipal Digital Equity Program will provide crucial assistance in Springfield’s efforts to develop sustainable and equitable practices and initiatives around technology usage. These invaluable investments will better the lives of our most vulnerable residents, granting them access to promising opportunities and an enhanced quality of life.”
The Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program, funded by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute through the state’s American Rescue Plan Act allocation, is designed to guide municipalities toward investments that would increase access and usage of internet for populations most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and prepare them to submit grant proposals for digital equity initiatives. To be eligible for the program, municipalities must include populations that are at or below 185% of the poverty line or 300% of the poverty line, as defined by the U.S. Treasury’s ARPA guidelines.
The announcement followed a meeting between Sarno and his administration, City Councilor Michael Fenton — chair of the Working Group on Digital Equity and Internet Access — and working group members Dr. Frank Robinson, Archbishop Timothy Paul Baymon and Springfield Library Assistant Director Jean Canosa-Albano. Sarno said his administration had been working on the issue of internet access “for over a year with a feasibility study on municipal fiber and closing that digital divide.”
Access to the internet became a major concern and political talking point during the coronavirus pandemic, putting municipalities’ shortcomings in the spotlight as students were required to attend school from home. During a 2021 presentation as part of his performance evaluation, Superintendent Daniel Warwick noted the school department distributed 5,000 hotspots to mitigate access issues and allow students to attend remote and hybrid classes.
Fenton said as part of the Mayor’s Office’s official statement, “I am grateful for the mayor’s support in pursuing this grant so that we can write a digital equity plan that will assist with bridging the digital divide. The internet is not a luxury, it is a necessity. I am proud of the work of our group and look forward to hopefully winning this grant and delivering a digital equity plan by the end of 2023.”
The Working Group on Digital Equity and Internet Access was the brainchild of City Council President and mayoral hopeful Jesse Lederman. Following the establishment and perceived success of the Working Group on Civic Engagement in 2022, Lederman announced the creation of four additional working groups — including the Working Group on Digital Equity and Internet Access — at a March 15 press conference.
In response to the mayor’s announcement, Lederman issued a statement.
“I am glad to see the administration continuing to follow my lead and the lead of the City Council in supporting the working group I appointed earlier this year to develop a Digital Equity Plan for the city of Springfield, building upon the feasibility study for a municipal fiber internet network I suggested in 2021,” he said. “The continued progress of the Working Group on Digital Equity and Internet Access, and the work being completed by all of our resident working groups, is another example of the benefits of opening up the doors of City Hall and bringing more voices to the table to move our city forward. I’m thankful to Chairman Fenton and all of the residents who are volunteering their experience in service to our community.”
Municipal fiber and internet access have been focuses of Lederman’s during his time on the City Council. In 2020, he led a coalition of local elected officials to pass City Council resolutions in Springfield, West Springfield and Holyoke in opposition to the Comcast/Xfinity data caps and in favor of exploring alternative internet options.
In 2021, Lederman rallied the same coalition for a virtual forum on municipal internet with industry experts.
Earlier this year, he sent a letter to Gov. Maura Healey and the Massachusetts federal delegation asking for more funding resources to improve internet access. In that letter, he claimed that more than half of Springfield households lack access to broadband-speed internet.