CT Awards Funds To North Haven-Area Internet Provider To Boost Service

NORTH HAVEN, CT — Connecticut has awarded $540,273 to an internet, TV and phone service provider serving the North Haven area for continued broadband expansion, Gov. Ned Lamont and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection recently announced.

Comcast was the recipient, according to the announcement. The provider serves 64 individual households/small businesses across Bolton, Burlington, Colchester, East Haddam, East Lyme, Guilford, North Haven, Salem, Sharon, Shelton, Wallingford, and Watertown.

The grant was among $9.9 million handed out in a second round of broadband expansion grants through the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program.

The grants will be used by internet service providers to build out broadband infrastructure, which will serve an estimated 3,802 residences and businesses in 44 towns and cities.

“This is a milestone in the state’s ongoing work to increase access to high-speed broadband for all Connecticut residents,” Lamont said in a news release. “Fast, affordable internet connectivity is essential to the success and wellbeing of our residents. Being able to go online and access the internet is tied to nearly every aspect of daily life from paying bills to finding employment and housing and even accessing healthcare.”

Funded through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund, the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program was established to fund the construction and deployment of broadband infrastructure designed to support the goal of universal access to fast, affordable, and reliable broadband.

“This latest round of grant awards is supporting the vital work of bringing broadband infrastructure to locations with the greatest needs,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said in a news release. “Research shows that 92 percent of jobs require digital skills and 60 percent of adults get health information online. This effort is critical. It’s about increasing access to vital elements of daily life, and helping to improve health, safety, affordability, and prosperity for the people of Connecticut.”

DEEP has approximately $6.7 million remaining in funding available through the ConneCTed Communities Program. Municipalities, community organizations, and internet service providers are eligible to apply. A major focus of the initiative is supporting broadband upgrades in multi-dwelling units.

To date, with this second round included, the ConneCTed Communities Grant Program has announced $34 million in awards to support buildouts for 5,582 locations, 116 cities and towns and 30 distressed municipalities, according to a news release from Lamont's office.

According to the 2024 Connecticut Broadband Report, high-speed gigabit internet is now available to 850,000 locations statewide, up from nearly none in 2022. The share of homes and small businesses lacking basic internet access has dropped from 1.7 percent to 0.4 percent, and 92.2 percent of households now subscribe to internet services.