"We've been talking about this for a long time, and it's one of the things that if you sit in here long enough, all the things you talk about in this room eventually do come true," Councilman Chris Cosgrove said at the Town Council's July 14 meeting about the Wi-Fi expansion. "It's fantastic to see this."
The Town Council accepted a $246,310 grant through the Community Education Network Grant program at the meeting. New Milford will use the funds to extend Wi-Fi coverage to outdoor spaces such as the exterior of the John Pettibone Community Center and the sports fields at New Milford High School and Schaghticoke Middle School.
The expansion of Wi-Fi coverage to these outdoor spaces aims to "bridge the digital divide and provide valuable internet access to underserved individuals and families in our community," according to the Town Council.
The Community Education Network Grant program is a $10 million competitive reimbursement subgrant under the Connecticut Education Network Broadband Infrastructure program, which was designed to aid COVID-19 recovery, according to its website.
Funded by the ARPA Capital Project Fund and supported by Gov. Ned Lamont's 2021 Connecticut Plan for the American Rescue Plan, the program works to enhance internet infrastructure for work, education, health and wellness, "with a focus on underserved and economically disadvantaged communities," the website states.
The town applied for the funding in partnership with the New Milford Board of Education, Mayor Pete Bass said. The town and Board of Education also received some funding through the program last year, he said.
"This will help us continue to build out the Wi-Fi within the town and the schools," Bass said.
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