Last week, the Office of Innovation and Technology shared exciting news about the status of the Verizon iNET Renewal Agreement and launched the Philly Free Wi-Fi Finder, designed to help Philadelphia residents access free Wi-Fi across 180+ City-owned locations in Philadelphia. The Office of Innovation and Technology is taking it a step further with a new tool, the Philly Free Wi-Fi Dashboard, for industry professionals, policymakers, and community organizations, providing transparency through live status updates on this project.

About the Philly Free Wi-Fi Dashboard

The City of Philadelphia offers free Wi-Fi at many recreation centers, older adult centers, parks and libraries. Residents can use the Philly Free Wi-Fi Dashboard to easily track the progress of the installation of gigabit fiber and Wi-Fi that was enabled by the Verizon iNET Franchise Renewal Agreement. As part of the City’s agreement, over the next two years, it is installing 1 Gigabit of fiber and public Wi-Fi at over 180 City locations.

The Philly Free Wi-Fi Dashboard was built to broaden the audience that can use this data to make everyday decisions to improve their lives and community. The City’s Open Data Program collaborates with departments and technical teams to build comprehensive data services that serve different public audiences.

The Philly Free Wi-Fi Dashboard, powered by an open data set, is a comprehensive platform that provides deeper insights into Philadelphia’s digital landscape, offering:

• Real-time data on free Wi-Fi availability
• Areas in need of enhanced connectivity
• Availability of high-speed internet and / or computer programs at City locations
• Other key digital equity data metrics

With these insights, policymakers and industry specialists can make informed decisions to better serve residents and drive digital equity initiatives forward.

Explore the Philly Free Wi-Fi Dashboard.

Key features of the dashboard

• Graphs showing the Verizon iNET project completion
• Total City of Philadelphia locations with other digital services, including public computers and computer classes
• Census data on broadband coverage maps for identifying service gaps

Data on Philadelphia residents come from US Census Bureau’s American Community Surveys. The most recent and complete data are from 2023. There are no 5-year ACS estimates for 2024 for this data.

How to use the dashboard

1. Access Philly Free Wi-Fi Dashboard
2. Search for a site by typing a location name or partial address in the search bar on the left-hand side of the map
3. Select a site by clicking on the specific site’s details in the list view or by clicking the site directly on the map
4. Find site specific data by selecting a site to trigger a pop up with specific data to explore
5. Layer maps by selecting the drop-down button in the top right-hand corner of the map. Key layering metrics include outlined zip codes and council districts, and census tract data including:
   1. Median Household income
   2. Percent of minority population
   3. Percent of households with no internet
   4. Percent of households with no device
   5. Percent of households with a subscription to home broadband service
6. The legend is located in the top right corner
7. Filter by free Wi-Fi, computer services, Verizon iNet locations, council district, and/or zip code
8. Access performance metrics on the right-hand side of the screen or using the metadata set.