GARDNER – October 13th, 2020 – The City of Gardner is pleased to announce a new initiative in partnership with Comcast which will provide high-speed internet access to Kelton Street, Stone Street, Wheeler Street and Brogan Road. Comcast will be expanding its network on those streets to provide its full product suite (including broadband internet access) to the area, the last existing large section of the City to be without this resource.
“I am very excited to see this project happen.” Said Gardner Mayor Mike Nicholson. “In 2020, all areas of our city should have access to broadband internet. I want to thank our partners at Comcast and Congresswoman Trahan for assisting us with this process and getting this important service to our residents.”
Forty seven households will gain broadband internet access through the project, which was brought about through the mutual efforts of Gardner Mayor Mike Nicholson, City Council President Lizzy Kazinskas, Congresswoman Lori Trahan, and Comcast, which should be completed over the next several months.
“Although nearly 100 percent of the Third District currently has broadband connectivity, the effects of COVID-19 have only been exacerbated for those who are without internet access. That’s why I’ve been working in close coordination with Comcast to deliver high-speed internet to broadband dead zones across our communities,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “The success of this new project would not be possible without the hard work and commitment of Gardner’s Mayor Nicholson, City Council President Kazinskas, and the entire City Council, as well as the folks at Comcast who share our commitment to connecting families to the internet. I’m incredibly grateful for their partnership that has enabled us to deliver broadband to our constituents currently lacking this vital resource in Gardner.”
Tim Kelly, Vice President of Government Affairs for Comcast’s Greater Boston Region, added “We welcome the opportunity to expand our network to serve additional residents. Our entire product suite – including 1 Gigabit broadband service – will be available to residents when this project is completed. We’ll keep residents updated when they can get services installed in the months ahead.” Fast, reliable internet access is vital for residents and increasingly mandatory for modern, forward-thinking municipalities. Until now, residents of this area of the City had been relying on outdated and underperforming dial-up internet, an archaic and inefficient product many moved on from well over a decade ago.
"I am absolutely thrilled for our citizens who reside on Brogan, Stone, Wheeler and Kelton Streets.” Said City Council President Lizzy Kazinskas. “I want to thank Congresswoman Trahan, Mayor Nicholson and Comcast for working diligently and patiently with me and the residents of these streets. I appreciate all those involved recognizing the significant need for reliable internet service in this area of Ward 2 in Gardner, and working together to fulfill that need with the most reasonable and permanent solution. The communication on this issue, particularly over the past six months and during the COVID-19 pandemic, has been a solid example of the way our citizens’ needs should be addressed and managed collaboratively and in the best interest of our community. I am proud of everyone involved and that I was able to be part of the process."
