By USCM Vice President Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter
November 7, 2011

Education is the key to success. It is the essential element for opportunity, growth, and prosperity for individuals and cities. Access to the Internet has become an important component for leveling the playing field and expanding educational opportunity.

The Internet is a transformative technology, with the potential to be a great equalizer and life-changer. It enables children to connect to their school's educational resources, adults to search for and apply to jobs online, and families to access important information about healthcare and government services.

Unfortunately, the technology that is flattening the world can also increase the divide between those who have access, and those who don’t. This “digital divide” is also an opportunity divide.

This digital divide affects millions of people. For example, in Philadelphia, it is estimated that almost 230,000 households or 41 percent do not have Internet access. Unfortunately, we are not the exception. Across the country 33 percent of American homes are not connected to the Internet according to the Federal Communications Commission. These statistics are worse in low-income neighborhoods. Long term solutions for employment and education require a digitally literate citizenry.

In order to close the digital divide and improve access to educational opportunities for Philadelphia’s young people, I recently partnered with Comcast to help launch a program called Internet Essentials.

Internet Essentials is available wherever Comcast provides services and offers families with a child receiving free school lunches under the National School Lunch Program Internet service for $9.95 a month, the ability to purchase a computer for $149.99, and digital literacy training in print, on-line, and in person.

Three years ago, Philadelphia, like many cities, began facing a prolonged employment crisis, which continues to affect our citizens today. In the face of this challenge I made it a priority for my administration to help Philadelphians and our city to create jobs and build a 21st century workforce. Increased broadband adoption and expanded digital literacy in low-income neighborhoods is a key component of how we are educating our citizens, nurturing innovation and encouraging entrepreneurship to create jobs and grow our city. So while Comcast made the program available, we spread the word to qualified families. We worked with the school district to include information with back to school materials. Our libraries and community centers put up posters and held digital literacy training sessions. We also engaged community partners such as the Boys and Girls Club, City Year, and the Urban League to encourage their constituents to adopt Internet at home.

Similarly, my administration is also working with the Freedom Rings Partnership, a collaboration of Drexel University, the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition (UAC), and grassroots organizations to bring Internet access, training, and technology to low-income communities across Philadelphia. This partnership will establish 77 public computer centers, provide over 200,000 hours of hands-on training to 15,000 people at 130 training locations citywide, distribute over 5,000 computers to public housing residents, and generate 5,000 new broadband household subscribers and 50 small businesses.

Public-private partnerships such as those Philadelphia has established with Comcast and Freedom Rings are representative of a blueprint for how mayors can close the digital divide in their cities and in turn improve the education of their citizens and better their communities. I encourage you to learn more about these programs and how you can help to close the digital divide in your city. Internet Essentials is available anywhere Comcast provides service and you can obtain additional details online at: www.internetessentials.com/partner.