When the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, it transformed all of our lives. People were forced to work from home, students had to go to class online, and internet access became more important than ever. The City, recognizing that Philadelphia was looking at months of remote learning, launched PHLConnectED—a program that provides free internet to eligible pre-K–12 households in need of reliable access.  

While PHLConnectED has enabled over 17,500 internet connections, we know there’s more work to be done. To address digital equity strategically, we had one key question: how many people still don’t have internet access or a reliable connection in Philadelphia? 
Enter: the Philadelphia Household Internet Assessment survey to analyze internet needs. 

An important survey 

The City is working with Wilco Electronic Systems and its team of partners to conduct a month-long survey to learn more about the digital access needs in Philadelphia. Wilco brought together a team that includes Centri Tech, SSRS, and national broadband expert John Horrigan to create, release, and analyze the survey data.