The Divide: How Philadelphia is pursuing digital equity

Juliet Fink Yates, digital inclusion manager at the Office of Innovation and Technology for the city of Philadelphia, joins the show to discuss what's causing the digital divide in Philadelphia and which programs are making the biggest differences. We also discuss the city's new Digital Equity Plan and what Philly needs from public and private partners to achieve its goals.

Here are some topics discussed in this episode:

• Her role and responsibilities as Philadelphia's digital inclusion manager (00:56)
• Primary causes of the digital divide in the city and progress in overcoming it (03:09)
• How to ensure broadband subsidy programs actually help people (07:00)
• How Philly is using "digital navigators" to better connect communities (11:20)
• The city's five-year "Digital Equity Plan" (18:14)

Related links:

• Philadelphia's Digital Equity Plan
• The Divide: What Starry has learned about connecting low-income communities
• The Divide: Next Century Cities' Francella Ochillo on documenting local perspectives in broadband policy
• 10M US households signed up for monthly broadband subsidy

— Nicole Ferraro, site editor, Broadband World News; senior editor, global broadband coverage, Light Reading. Host of "The Divide" on the Light Reading Podcast.