Verizon reached an agreement with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to establish a new program for promoting wireless broadband data and voice services access in underserved portions of the state, as well as other portions of the country.
The company’s Public Sector unit will specifically provide turnkey connectivity, devices and other solutions for low-income residences in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington, D.C..
Those eligible include:
- Households participating in the National School Lunch Program.
- Pell Grant recipients.
- Those with an income lower than 135 percent of the income designated by Federal Poverty Guidelines.
“During the pandemic, we worked with state and local governments to provide connectivity for students shifting to online education as quickly as possible,” said Jennifer Chronis, SVP for Verizon Public Sector. “A significant digital divide persists, and our mission is to help narrow the connectivity gap by providing the easiest way for states and non-profits to get families online.”
The agreement is similar in nature to the one signed with the Georgia Department of Education, and is modeled after Verizon’s Distance Learning program – which provided access to “reliable, affordable internet connections” for 38 million students in 40 states and Washington, D.C..
