During a ceremony in Boston on Thursday, September 18, the City of Chelsea, Chelsea Housing Authority (CHA), and Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) received a Collaboration & Partnerships award from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Technology Services and Security (EOTSS) recognizing their groundbreaking partnership to launch a Free WiFi Initiative for public housing residents in 2024.
After reviewing a report that found more than 20% of Chelsea residents did not have access to high-speed internet, and with support from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI), the City, CHA, and MAPC launched the Pratville Free Wi-Fi Initiative, providing free, high-speed internet to 128 units in the CHA’s public housing building, the Pratville Apartments.
“The pandemic exposed how fragile internet access was for our residents, who often had to rely on public places like coffee shops and fast-food restaurants to connect and get online,” said Matt Frank, Director of Operations for the CHA. “This collaboration was about supporting our residents and making sure they have the tools they need to succeed, and the Housing Authority is honored to be recognized for this work alongside the City’s IT Department and MAPC. We are excited to be at the forefront of expanding access and are already gathering our partners together to move forward on several other initiatives that will break down barriers for our residents.”
“This recognition is a testament to our shared belief that internet access is not a luxury, it’s a necessity,” said Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez. “We’re grateful to our Chief Information Officer Ramon Garcia, whose dedication helped make this program possible, as well as our partners at the Chelsea Housing Authority and the MAPC.”
“The digital equity planning process requires phenomenal partners, and the City of Chelsea and all involved in this project set a great example of how it can be done,” said MAPC Executive Director Lizzi Weyant. “It’s deeply rewarding to see the impact of free internet access for Pratville Apartments’ residents. We look forward to our ongoing work with Chelsea and the opportunity to collaborate with neighboring municipalities in digital equity service delivery.”
The project aims to close the digital gap for public housing, by also providing digital skills training and support programs for all of the city’s public housing residents.
Since launching this program, CHA has been accepted into the MBI Retrofit program to bring low-cost fiber internet service into four more sites including its Buckley, Margolis, Scrivano and Mace buildings. This program will bring high-quality dependable fiber optic internet at a low cost to residents in these buildings.
The Collaboration & Partnerships Award is a category within the annual MA Excellence in Technology Awards that honors an initiative demonstrating significant public-private partnership and collaborative work.