Closing the Broadband Availability Gap and Support the Development of a Five-Year Action Plan

Description

Purpose: The Purpose of This Grant Is to Support Closing the Broadband Availability Gap and Support the Development of a Five-Year Action Plan.the Proposed Project Includes the Following Planning and Pre-Deployment Activities: Research and Data Collection, Including Initial Identification of Unserved Locations and Underserved Locations Consistent with Rules, Regulations, and Processes Commission Has Established for Making Determinations in Broadband Data Maps; Publications, Outreach, and Communications Support; Training for Employees of Broadband Program or Office of Eligible Entity or Employees or Political Subdivisions of Eligible Entity, and Related Staffing Capacity or Consulting or Contracted Support to Effectuate Goals of Bead Program; Establishing, Operating, or Increasing Capacity of a Broadband Office That Oversees Broadband Programs and Broadband Deployment in an Eligible Entity; Asset Mapping Across the Eligible Entity to Catalogue Broadband Adoption, Affordability, Equity, Access and Deployment Activities Occurring Within the Eligible Entity; Conducting Surveys of Unserved, Underserved, and Underrepresented Communities to Better Understand Barriers to Adoption; and Costs Associated with Meeting the Local Coordination Requirements in Section IV.C.1.C of This Nofo Including Capacity Building at the Local and Regional Levels or Contracted Support.expected Outcomes: The Outcomes of Massachusetts' Proposed Project Are a Five-Year Action Plan, Identifying Broadband Access, Affordability, Equity, and Adoption Needs; Serving as a Benchmark for Adopting Strategies, Goals, and Initial Measures for Connecting All Residents of Massachusetts with Reliable Broadband Service; Ensuring Maximum Efficiency; Avoiding Duplicative Efforts; and Advancing Digital Equity and Access to Broadband Service. IN Addition to Massachusetts' Overarching Goals, More Specific Outcomes Include a Data Driven Strategy to Achieve Universal Broadband Access That Will Inform Bead Program Investment; Greater Awareness and Participation in Mbi?s Statewide Planning Efforts and the Resulting Bead Program; Developing the Operational and Programmatic Structure to Implement the Programs; Implementing Future Project Deliverables; Creating an Asset Inventory That, When Compared to the Needs Assessment, Will Inform Programming Gaps; Create a Massachusetts-Specific Digital Needs Assessment; and Developing an Ongoing Feedback Loop for Local, Regional, and Tribal Coordination and with Underrepresented Communities.intended Beneficiaries: The Intended Beneficiaries Are Unserved and Underserved Groups in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with a Focus on Rural and Unserved Populations.subrecipient Activities: The Recipient Does Intend to Subaward Funds to the Masstech/Massachusetts Broadband Institute.