The Town of Williamstown has been awarded $454,181 through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Municipal Fiber Grant Program to construct a town-owned fiber optic network connecting major municipal buildings and schools across the community. The grant, administered through the Office of Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, is part of a statewide competitive program designed to close critical gaps in municipal network infrastructure.
The project is notably multi-jurisdictional in scope, benefitting Williamstown, Mount Greylock Regional School District, and Lanesborough Elementary School. By creating a shared, high-speed communications backbone, the network will support a broad range of municipal and educational services.
The Municipal Fiber Grant Program prioritizes town-owned infrastructure, ensuring that communities maintain long-term control over their networks. Ownership by the municipality allows for centralized IT management, including enterprise-level network monitoring, cybersecurity protections, records management, and backup and recovery systems. The network will also position Williamstown to aggregate internet bandwidth purchases with partner communities, creating meaningful economies of scale and reducing costs to taxpayers over time.
“I am very excited to implement infrastructure that not only bolsters our capabilities and resilience but also allows us to more efficiently make use of taxpayer dollars,” said Jason Morin, IT Manager for the Town of Williamstown.
Williamstown was one of dozens of municipalities across Massachusetts selected for funding in this competitive grant cycle. The program reflects the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s commitment to modernizing public infrastructure and ensuring that cities and towns have the tools they need to deliver efficient, secure, and reliable services to residents.
Planning and procurement are underway. Construction and implementation of the fiber network is expected to be completed by July 2027.
For more information on the grant, please see the press release from the state: Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $10.1 Million in Community Compact Grants Impacting 52 Municipalities | Mass.gov
For more information about the Town’s award, contact our IT Department.