New Britain announces plans to expand high-speed internet access

NEW BRITAIN, CT (WFSB) – New Britain is attempting to bridge the digital gap by building a high-speed fiber internet network throughout their city.

The $6 million project is made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act funds and not from city tax dollars.

Mayor Erin Stewart said there was always a want for access to high-speed internet in New Britain, but it was really the pandemic that brought that want to a need.

“Our children and our students were required to adapt to online learning but one of the things we found was that our students didn’t have access to high quality affordable internet,” said Stewart.

New Britain will become the first community in the state to partner with GoNetspeed in a partnership to bring reliable internet to residents.

The company participates in the federal Affordable Connectivity Program which provides eligible households with a maximum of $30 per month toward service.

“It’s all fiber based 100% fiber, it’s scalable for the future, there’s nothing faster than fiber, and it come at affordable price it brings in competition into the market,” said Tom Perrone, Chief Operating Officer, of GoNetspeed.

With installation fees waived, free routers, and plans that start at $39.99 a month, GoNetspeed hopes to entice many more cities and towns with their affordable prices.

“We’re trying to work with all of the towns, we feel like now is the time, the government and public are looking for this high-speed infrastructure, there’s money associated with building this out so we’re talking with everybody,” said Perrone.

The project will begin in January 2023 and take about six months to set up. After that, 175 miles of fiber will span the city ready for use.

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