Mayor Cherelle Parker is all in on Philadelphia’s digital inclusion efforts

Amid a slew of executive appointments and policy changes, local government workers will feel assured that Mayor Cherelle Parker (D-PA) plans to continue the City of Philadelphia’s digital equity work. Without digital inclusion—access to the internet, devices and digital literacy skills—you can’t provide economic opportunities, Parker said at Net Inclusion 2024, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s (NDIA) annual conference, which was hosted in Philadelphia. The mayor’s experience working with digital inclusion goes back to her time as a state representative in the Pennsylvania General Assembly where she worked to expand broadband across the state, she said. Over the last 10 years, Philadelphia has been working toward closing the digital divide. Mayor Parker recapped those efforts for a crowd of digital equity advocates from across the country. Among them:

• During the pandemic, the City of Philadelphia launched PHLConnected, a program that connected over 23,000 pre-K-to-12 families to free internet services and affordable devices.
• In 2021, the City conducted a household internet survey and found that 84 percent of households in Philadelphia have high-speed internet, up from 70 percent in 2019. 
• The City published a five-year digital equity plan in 2022 and established an executive order for digital equity. The plan outlined four main goals: devices, training and workforce, connectivity and ecosystem.
• The City expanded the digital navigator network, which offers free support for digital equity resources, and in spring 2023 partnered with PCs for People to refurbish and distribute low-cost devices.
• The Digital Literacy Alliance, a 2017-founded coalition of Philly organizations funded in part by the region’s internet service providers, has given out over $1 million in grants to local access efforts, including funds for adult digital skills classes.