Attleboro senior housing complex set to receive upgraded high-speed internet

ATTLEBORO – Mayor Cathleen DeSimone collaborated with the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the Massachusetts Broadband Institute and the Preservation of Affordable Housing to announce the provision of high-speed internet at Gardner Terrace, a 92-unit affordable-apartment building that was formerly a jewelry factory.

Gardner Terrace I, located near downtown Attleboro, will become the second property in Massachusetts to benefit from broadband enhancements under the Residential Retrofit Program, a more than $70 million investment aimed at improving internet access in public and affordable housing.

The funding, initially announced in December 2024, will enable Aervivo Inc. to install state-of-the-art wiring that will supply high-speed internet to the 92 senior households in the building. DeSimone was joined by Joshua Eichen, director of program development for the Massachusetts Broadband Institute; Aaron Gornstein, CEO and president of the Preservation of Affordable Housing; and Mindy Torbit, vice president of customer success at Aervivo. Two residents from Gardner Terrace also expressed their thoughts at the event.

Currently, households in 13 municipalities are part of the Residential Retrofit Program. Aervivo plans to offer income-eligible broadband plans to residents of Gardner Terrace I, providing download and upload speeds of at least 100 megabits per second and up to 1,000 Mbps. Furthermore, Aervivo will provide laptop devices and partner with Tech Goes Home to deliver digital skills training to the senior residents.

“It is very rewarding to see that a site that once was an innovative producer of goods that built the economy of Attleboro will be a center for individuals to be active in the digital age,” Gornstein said. “[The Preservation of Affordable Housing] is very grateful for these broadband upgrades that will allow our senior residents to access services and stay connected to the world around them.”

The broadband institute’s Residential Retrofit Program, which started in February 2024, has allocated $70.5 million to provide internet access to more than 40,000 public and affordable housing units across Massachusetts. The funding for this initiative comes from the U.S. Treasury’s Capital Projects Fund through the American Rescue Plan Act.

Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.