The Massachusetts Broadband Institute sent the press release below announcing an extension of the free Hot Spot they installed in towns across western Mass to the end of the year.
With school now going into session, the school parking lot, driveway, picnic tables or grounds will no longer be available for parking to use the Hotspot during school hours. You may park in the lot between the school and the church during the day.
Please be respectful of the fact that school is in session and they are working very hard to provide a safe environment for the students and teachers.
Monday, August 24, 2020
Baker-Polito Administration Extends Wireless Hotspot Program in Unserved Massachusetts Towns
Extends 26 Wireless Sites to End of 2020 in Response to COVID-19
WESTBOROUGH – The Baker-Polito Administration has officially extended the free wireless hotspot program that has delivered public high-speed internet connections to residents and students in unserved Massachusetts towns, in response to the COVID-19 public health pandemic. The program, originally slated to end September 1st, will be extended through the end of 2020.
The program, announced in April by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute at MassTech (MBI) and KCST USA, the operator of the Commonwealth-owned MassBroadband 123 fiber optic network, has launched public hotspots in 26 communities that lack high-speed internet connectivity, providing a 250 Megabit per second wireless hotspot, free of any monthly charge to towns or residents. The sites were connected with the active support of several regional internet service providers (ISPs), including AccessPlus, Crocker Communications, and Westfield Gas+Electric (WG+E).
A current list of hotspot sites is available on MBI’s website and is included below. Each site will provide residents with instructions on how to access the hotspots. Residents who use these hotspots are urged to follow social distancing protocols in accordance with the guidance issued by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
| TOWN | LOCATION | ADDRESS | PROVIDER |
| Ashfield | Belding Memorial Library | 344 Main Street | WG+E |
| Becket | Town Hall | 557 Main Street | WG+E |
| Blandford | Town Hall | 1 Russell Stage Road | WG+E |
| Charlemont | Hawlemont Regional School | 10 School Street | WG+E |
| Chesterfield | Town Offices | 422 Main Road | WG+E |
| Colrain | Library | 12 Main Road | WG+E |
| Cummington | Town Hall | 33 Main Street | Crocker Communications |
| Florida | Senior Center | 367 Mohawk Trail | Access Plus |
| Goshen | Town Office | 40 Main Street | WG+E |
| Hancock | Elementary School | 3080 Hancock Road | Crocker Communications |
| Hawley | Town Offices | 8 Pudding Hollow Road | Access Plus |
| Heath | Former Heath Elementary School | 18 Jacobs Road | WG+E |
| Leyden | School/Town Office | 7 Brattleboro Road | WG+E |
| Monroe | Town Offices | 3C School Street | Access Plus |
| New Braintree | Leroy Pollard Memorial Library | 45 Memorial Drive | Crocker Communications |
| New Marlborough | Library | 1 Mill River-Gt. Barrington Road | Crocker Communications |
| New Salem | Swift River School | 201 Wendell Road | WG+E |
| Petersham | Town Offices | 3 South Main Street | Crocker Communications |
| Sandisfield | Town Hall | 66 Sandisfield Road | Crocker Communications |
| Savoy | Town Hall | 720 Main Road | Access Plus |
| Tolland | Town Hall | 241 W Granville Rd | Crocker Communications |
| Warwick | Warwick Community School | 41 Winchester Road | Access Plus |
| Washington | Town Hall | 8 Summit Hill Road | WG+E |
| Wendell | Town Offices | 9 Morse Village Road | WG+E |
| Windsor | Town Hall | 1890 Route 9 (Berkshire Trail) | WG+E |
| Worthington | R.H. Conwell Elementary | 147 Huntington Road | Crocker Communications |
The MBI and KCST worked with ISPs to offer the new wireless hotspots. The ISPs worked with each community to establish the hotspot at a public community anchor institution, such as town halls, libraries, and schools. These facilities are connected to MassBroadband 123, the 1,200 mile fiber-optic network launched in 2014 with federal and state support.
Progress continues on efforts to extend high-speed connectivity in unserved communities, projects which have been supported by over $55 million in direct grants from the Commonwealth’s Last Mile program. Of the 53 communities in the program, 21 now have completed projects, delivering broadband access to an estimated 18,000 citizens. Projects are nearing completion in another 11 communities, with service rolling out to residents and businesses by the end of 2020.
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About the Massachusetts Broadband Institute
A division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) is working to extend high-speed Internet access to homes, businesses, schools, libraries, medical facilities, government offices, and other public places across the Commonwealth. Learn more at https://broadband.masstech.org.