City officials on Friday announced $5 million in internet accessibility upgrades and instructional programs for the Boston Housing Authority’s 17 developments, including Mattapan’s Hassan Apartments, home to an elderly and disabled public housing community on River Street with a large Haitian American population.

Mayor Wu and Boston Housing Authority (BHA) director Kenzie Bok announced that state and federal grants would be used at Hassan and the 16 other developments to increase the quality and speed of internet wi-fi service. On display at Hassan was a “Wicked Free” mobile wi-fi unit in the community room that is a pilot being used to help fill in spots around the city with slow connectivity.

Also included in the program are classes to help public housing residents, particularly the elderly, learn how to use the internet more effectively.
Ignus Thomas, a Hassan resident, urged all senior citizens across the city to take advantage of these new upgrades, and, especially, to especially take the computer classes that go with the program.

“The computer in the hands of everyone, but especially the seniors, is something very important right now,” Thomas said. “If we don’t try to pick up something on the computer, no matter how small it might be, we will be far behind and left behind, because we are already behind. Seniors, make every effort to take any class about the computer.”

He noted he learned important lessons about Zoom, how to get faster connection speeds, and how to be proficient with e-mail.

Wu recalled how so many families in her son’s kindergarten class during the 2020-2021 pandemic school year couldn’t reliably get online for school. This, she said, was sharply felt in low-income communities and public housing communities.

“Even as we got laptops to every single student, only half of the class was on at any moment for Zoom kindergarten,” she said. “Many couldn’t hear the teacher because the connection wasn’t strong enough or fast enough to support that program…It has to be high quality and reliable.”

She also noted that at a recent phone seminar with other mayors around the country, many were dealing with how to even get the internet to their residents. She said Boston is blessed to have great connectivity, but it also needs to continue until “every gap is closed.”

Bok said the classes referenced by Thomas started at BHA properties in 2021 and have been important when combined with better and faster internet service. “We don’t want to just provide things in theory, but we want to provide them in practice,” she said.

Santiago Garces, chief information officer for the city, said the city has gone from 32,000 people without internet connectivity to 14,000 now under the discounted internet program now offered.

“We know high-quality internet is critical for young people to access jobs and opportunities,” he said.

The investments were made via grants from the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Michael Baldino, director of the Broadband Institute, said $4.55 million of the money came from the state’s Digital Equity Partnership program, and $450,000 came from the Digital Equity Planning grant.

Santiago Garces, chief information officer for the city.

Hassan Tenant Task Force President Amos Louis thanked everyone for bringing better service to the senior public housing development.
Seth Daniel photos

A “Wicked Free” Wi-Fi mobile internet station is being piloted in the community room of the Hassan Apartments in Mattapan.