Pittsfield Announces Internet Speed Test Day

07:46AM / Friday, October 27, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Earlier this year, the City of Pittsfield was selected to participate in the Municipal Digital Equity Planning Program launched by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI).

As a part of the digital equity planning effort, the city is seeking to gain insight into any internet disparities within the community and if residents are experiencing widespread problems with their internet connections through an internet speed test.

On Wednesday, Nov. 1, community members are asked to join the Speed Test Day. To participate, visit: https://www.cityofpittsfield.org/speedtest/ on the device you use to connect to the internet.

Following completion of the speed test, please send us your results using the form on the city's website. The city will use this information to better understand and identify the challenges residents may experience when connecting to the internet. The feedback received by residents will be included as part of the city's Digital Equity Plan. An internet speed test is a great tool to identify if there is a problem with internet speed.

However, more work must be done if a problem is discovered as many things can affect internet speed. Often the Internet Service Provider (ISP) is not the cause of the problem but can help identify a solution.

Poor performance can affect a user's experience on the internet, at times making it impossible to do things like participate in online classrooms or attend a telehealth appointment.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield School Board See Update on Middle School Restructuring

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:24AM / Wednesday, January 21, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Wheels are moving on the Pittsfield Public Schools plan to realign the middle schools in the fall.

Last week, the School Committee received updates on the transition to an upper elementary and junior high school model in September, with Grades 5 and 6 attending Herberg Middle School and Grades 7 and 8 attending Reid Middle School.

"This is an equity strategy that was started maybe a year ago, a year and a half ago, that we’ve been working towards to ensure that every intermediate and middle school student has access to equitable educational opportunities," Interim Superintendent Latifah Phillips said.

"I know that there are a lot of moving parts that we are working toward, but I just always want to anchor us in that this decision was made with equity in mind for serving all of our students."

Resident Rebecca Thompson pointed to the diverse demographics of Pittsfield schools and the importance of understanding them when shaping priorities and policies. In the 2024-2025 school year, students were 51.5 percent white, she reported, and 48.5 percent were a part of the global majority, meaning they are Black, indigenous, or a person of color.

Additionally, 70 percent of Pittsfield students live in poverty.

"I hope my giving you this data is not news to you, as it is critical to creating an educational system in which all students, every single one, have a decent chance to reach their potential. Each of you needs to bring an equity lens to your work as a School Committee member," she said.

"… We all need to face the reality that our inequities stem from our history, and are based primarily on skin color. The whiter an individual's skin, the fewer obstacles stand in the way of them achieving their potential. An equity lens is how we own this reality, talk about it, and make changes in systems, policies, procedures, and our own behaviors in order to interrupt it."

View Full Story