Broadband Bill Unanimously Passes The House

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BOSTON - The House of Representatives and Senate created the Broadband Institute and dedicated $40 million for the purposes of increasing high speed internet access to communities across the state. The Broadband Institute is charged with investing in un-served and under-served communities.  

Currently there are 63 towns in Massachusetts where there is only partial broadband service, and 32 have no access at all. In those 95 communities, over 220,000 households and over 25,000 businesses lack adequate broadband access. This digital divide slows and deters economic development, threatens public safety and health, hinders municipal business and restricts creativity in the classroom.

Representative Daniel Bosley (D-North Adams) said, “This is the culmination of years of work to bring up the telecommunication infrastructure up to speed in my district. Now merchants will have faster access for their electronic transactions and business owners will no longer be at a competitive disadvantage.”

The passage of this legislation is intended to demonstrate to business leaders and tech-savvy workers throughout the world that Massachusetts expects to exceed all other states with regard to high-speed Internet access. Now, we can attract businesses to the Commonwealth by assuring them that they and their employees will have competitively priced and premium broadband access regardless of where they locate. 

“Broadband providers simply do not have the financial incentive to build out their systems in these parts of our state. Without the public investment provided by this legislation, these communities would have been forced to wait indefinitely, and would fall further behind. Today, we put a stop to that inertia,” according to Representative Guyer (D-Dalton) 

Representative Smitty Pignatelli (D-Lenox) said, “Today we are one step closer to closing the digital divide that persists in parts of our state, particularly in Western Massachusetts.”

Representative Christopher Speranzo (D-Pittsfield) said, “This is crucial for our economic health not only in my district, but the rest of the commonwealth.” 

The bill awaits the enactment in the Senate and then the signature of the Governor.
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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
 
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
 
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
 
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
 
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths. 
 
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
 
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
 
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