FFB Week 22 – PHLConnectED, Philly Empowered: Linking Families to Opportunity
May 28 @ 10:00 am - 10:30 am
In a city of 1.5 million residents and a population density of over 11,000 people per square mile, you might assume that digital access is a given. But the reality is different. The early days of the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare a persistent digital divide, as students and families struggled to adapt to a rapidly digital world.
PHLConnectED—an initiative led by the City of Philadelphia and local partners—was launched to ensure that pre-K through 12th-grade families could access free or low-cost internet services. Central to the program’s success is the City’s Digital Navigator Network, which provides one-on-one support to help residents overcome barriers to broadband adoption, such as lack of digital literacy, device access, or clarity around service options.
Additionally, the conversation will touch on the City’s new Verizon franchise agreement, which will bring fiber connectivity to all Philadelphia recreation centers—critical hubs for community access—and why fiber infrastructure plays a vital role in building a resilient, inclusive digital ecosystem.
Join Juliet Fink-Yates, Broadband Infrastructure and Digital Inclusion Manager at the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Innovation & Technology, and Gary Bolton, President and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association (FBA), as they discuss the measurable impact of the City’s Digital Navigator Network, PHLConnectED and the role in advancing digital equity, and what’s next in connecting communities to opportunity.
With Special Guest:
