The pandemic has increased everyone’s dependence on technology, but that technology is out of reach for thousands of people in the Portland area alone. According to 2018 data from the American Community Survey, 32,000 households in Multnomah County are not connected to the internet, and at least 16,230 households do not have computing devices of any kind. The City of Portland allocated $5 million in CARES Act funding from the federal government to help bridge the digital divide that has left so many already vulnerable communities without access to critical resources. The project was able to help 25% of those who requested technology devices, training and internet access support.
We hear about this effort, and the work still left to be done, from Christine Kendrick, Smart City PDX coordinator and Alan Hipolito, executive director of Suma, who worked on the project as well.
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