Connect Philly: Addressing digital access issues

Join Technically Philly, the City of Philadelphia, KEYSPOT (Powered by the Freedom Rings Partnership) and the Knight Foundation for the launch of Connect Philly, a new set of tools which can help citizens find free and affordable access to the Internet and computer training.

Mayor Michael Nutter and the Knight Foundation's Donna Frisby-Greenwood will help kick-off the launch, followed by a panel discussion about digital access in Philadelphia. Experts in the fields of broadband infrastructure and broadband adoption will help us understand how Philly is working to bridge the digital divide.

April 5, 3:00-4:00pm
Conversation Hall in City Hall

Panel includes:
- Siobhan Reardon, Free Library of Philadelphia
- Brigitte Daniel, Wilco Electronic Systems
- Charles Kaylor, Temple University;
- Bryan Mercer, Media Mobilizing Project
Moderated by Technically Philly’s Christopher Wink

ABOUT CONNECT PHILLY

Connect Philly is an interactive map that visualizes neighborhood-level broadband access, along with showing more than 200 locations that provide Internet access in Philadelphia: recreation centers, library branches, computer centers, retail storefronts and more. See it live now at http://connect.technicallyphilly.com

Using any mobile phone, citizens can send their address by text message to find the closest available Internet access point. Try it now: type an address in an SMS message (i.e. “1515 Market St.”) to 215-240-7296. In a matter of seconds, you’ll be able to find the closest location that provides free, or nearly free, access to the Internet.