City Manager ask the appropriate departments to review the city’s digital equity work to date, including the study’s recommendations and all steps taken since the study conclusion in order to update the evaluation of existing internet access programs, assessing whether residents’ digital needs are or could be better provided for and to propose how we can better meet their needs and to report back to the Council by June 2026 on internet access programs

How it started

Jan 26, 2026 · Proposed by Councillors Zusy, Nolan, and Sobrinho-Wheeler and Vice Mayor Azeem: a formal request from the Council to the administration.

What happened

Feb 9, 2026 · ✅ Order adopted as amended: first paused by a charter right, then adopted two weeks later; the request went to the City Manager. (Adopted as amended, unanimous)

Voted yes (9), unanimous

Ayah Al-Zubi
Burhan Azeem
Tim Flaherty
Marc McGovern
Patty Nolan
E. Denise Simmons
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
Cathie Zusy
Sumbul Siddiqui

Roll call of Feb 9, 2026 · from the city’s record · photos: City of Cambridge

What’s next

⌛ No response on the docket: nothing has been filed back under this request's number. Answers sometimes arrive as other items; this ledger tracks only this one.

The document Agenda item attachment · 2 pages

🏛 The city's agenda for this meeting: Jan 26, 2026the city publishes no page for a single item: this one is a row on that agenda📄 Download original PDF

In December 2024, with $1.1m of ARPA funds, Cambridge funded a three-year test program between Starry and the Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) to provide internet access to the residents of the Frank J. Manning, Washington Elms and Newtowne Court apartments; and

In 2022, the CHA launched a computer training program for senior residents at a few CHA properties, including Manning apartments, offering free chromebooks, funded by Google; and

The City of Cambridge also provides public Wi-Fi in our schools, libraries and public buildings the Cambridge Public Library offers a Digital Equity Initiative, offering free tech classes, help and take out technology and CCTV, with the City, offers a Digital Navigator Program offering free laptops, hotspots and essential tech training; and

The Cambridge Public Library just received a grant of $100,000 to further fund their digital navigator program and equipment to provide greater internet access; now therefore be it

That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the appropriate departments to review the city’s digital equity work to date, including the study’s recommendations and all steps taken since the study conclusion in order to update the evaluation of existing internet access programs, assessing whether residents’ digital needs are or could be better provided for and to propose how we can better meet their needs and to report back to the Council by June 2026 on internet access programs; and be it further

That this evaluation include exploration of the federal USAC Lifeline and BEAD programs; and

Despite near-term financial challenges, the City Manager is hereby requested to retain Municipal Broadband in capital project planning for the coming years.

In City Council February 9, 2026. Adopted as Amended by a yea and nay vote:-

Yeas 9; Nays 0; Absent 0. Attest:- Paula M. Crane, Interim City Clerk

A true copy; ATTEST:-

Paula M. Crane

Interim City Clerk

🗓 The meeting where this was taken up: Jan 26, 2026