This Digital Equity Plan for the City of Philadelphia
represents the City’s commitment to addressing the
inequities that contribute to the digital divide including
issues of affordability, digital literacy and support, housing
insecurity, and language, cultural, and racial barriers. The
Plan builds upon a strong foundation of work established
by the City’s Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT).
For over a decade, OIT has led intergovernmental
teams to tackle the digital divide. First, OIT developed
the KEYSPOT network of public computing centers,
followed by establishing the Digital Literacy Alliance and
coordinating the release of over $1,000,000 in grants
to community-based organizations. At the onset of the
pandemic, OIT collaborated closely with the Mayor’s
Office of Education and philanthropic and corporate
partners to develop PHLConnectED, the City’s program
that has provided over 18,000 free internet connections
to pre-K through 12 grade households. All these efforts
have had an impact, and the digital divide is gradually
closing. In 2021, the City commissioned an assessment
of household internet use and found that 84 percent of
households now have wired, in-home broadband - up
from 70 percent in 2019.
- Published in
- United States of America
