NORTH ADAMS — Residents living in North Adams Housing Authority properties will now get free Wi-Fi after the agency secured a state grant.

The project, worth $813,000, was funded through a Massachusetts digital equity grant, which was distributed by the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. The project overhauled the internet infrastructure, and all of the more than 300 units across the housing authority's four properties will benefit from this upgrade.

"For the residents who previously paid for their own Wi-Fi subscription, this will free up some of their expense budget to cover many of the costs of living. which have dramatically increased recently," said Jen Hohn, executive director of the housing authority.

Residents living in North Adams Housing Authority properties will now get free Wi-Fi including those residing in the Greylock Valley Apartments at 48 Angeli St.

The North Adams Housing Authority operates federally-subsidized public housing in the city. Tenants in those units make less than 30 percent of the area median income, which is $27,650 for one person, and only pay 30 percent of their monthly income for rent.

For those tenants, every dollar matters, and getting $30 a month back — which is the lowest-priced plan for Spectrum — makes an impact, which is why the agency is keeping the Wi-Fi free.

"Considering the hardship caused by COVID and some tenants' children not being able to attend school from lack of internet and the availability of the grant, it seemed like an obvious need to address," Hohn said.

Residents living in North Adams Housing Authority properties will now get free Wi-Fi including those residing in the Riverview Apartments on Sperry Avenue.

The pandemic was also the cited reason for creating the Digital Equity Partnerships Program, as it aimed to fix gaps in internet coverage. That program provided funding to several organizations, including the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, which completed the North Adams project.

The free status of the program is subject to the availability and affordability of the service, Hohn said.

Pittsfield Housing Authority, an independent housing agency that operates 700 units in the city, also received an upgrade to its internet infrastructure through the Massachusetts Broadband Institute. That grant went to AccessPlus to install fiber optic cables in seven of the ten agency properties. Residents will have to pay $35 a month to use AccessPlus's internet.

Still, it is a way to provide free services and internet at a time when connectivity is a necessary service.

"Removing the cost barrier to access to internet services for lower income residents helps to close the digital divide and can provide opportunities for education, employment, health care access as well as access to other government and community services," Hohn said.