The digital divide is not a new issue, but it is especially stark amid COVID-19.

In Philadelphia, over 27% of all households do not have high-speed internet (in some neighborhoods that number is as high as 68%), and many, if not all, publicly accessible computer labs have closed.

The Free Library of Philadelphia has 54 branches, all with computers previously available to library card holders, are now closed for the foreseeable future. KEYSPOT computer labs, a network of over 50 public-access computing centers located in public, private and nonprofit organizations, have also closed.

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