PITTSFIELD — Two of the city’s public housing properties have received funding to upgrade internet access for residents.
Currently, neither building has bulk Wi-Fi, meaning tenants must purchase an individual plan to access the internet. The most basic plan from Spectrum, the county’s primary service provider, costs $30 a month.
And if residents want high-speed internet to work remotely, attend telehealth appointments or stream a movie, they’re looking at a monthly bill of $50 or $70.
The new funding, which will bring bulk, high speed Wi-Fi to both Rose Manor and Brattlebrook Village and could cut costs for renters, comes from the Residential Retrofit Program, a project of Massachusetts Broadband Initiative. The program works with housing operators and internet service providers to upgrade broadband infrastructure in public and affordable housing properties throughout the state.