In a move to bolster digital equity, the City of Philadelphia's Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) and the Digital Literacy Alliance (DLA) have announced a new partnership with PCs for People with a joint press announcement and laptop distribution event.

This was done to further the City's Digital Equity Plan, a citywide initiative enacted to close the gap in digital access among households.

The OIT seeks to make government services both more efficient and transparent, but also to manage the City's major technology projects, and encourage both the public and municipal employees to engage with technology in useful ways.

For the DLA, they are a coalition of digital inclusion partners seeking to close the digital gap through funding programs focused on digital literacy and inclusion, connect diverse institutions with community leaders seeking to improve residents' access to and skill with technology, and act as a resource for best practices in digital literacy programming and policy-making.

They are managed by the City's Innovation Management Team, whose members include leaders in government, nonprofits, local companies, and universities, among others.

PCs for People was chosen for this partnership when the Philadelphia City Fund sought to increase device recycling, refurbishment, and tech support availability across the City.

They are a national nonprofit social enterprise seeking to put low-cost quality computers and internet into households with low income. By refurbishing computers, they prevent usable electronics from entering landfills and repurpose them to advance digital inclusion.

During the event, PCs For People will be distributing 50 laptops to residents in high need, as identified by Taller Puertorriqueño and Ceiba.

Attending the event will be Mayor Jim Kenney; the City's Digital Inclusion Manager Juliet Fink Yates, Ceiba Executive Director Will Gonzalez; PCs for People VP of Business Development Joseph Benson; and Taller Puertorriqueño's Associate Director, Erikka Goslin.

The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Mar. 27th, at Taller Puertorriqueño, 2600 N 5th St., Philadelphia, PA 19133.