Vanessa Brown was one of the first people to earn a computer and internet access through Wireless Philadelphia. "My 7-year-old is computer-ready but we could never afford one," she said upon receiving her computer. "She doesn't know about this yet. I can't wait to see her face when she finds out."

Victoria Johnson, an Elverson Military Academy student whose family is signed up for discounted internet service through WP, said, “In high school the Internet is so important. Just to get me in the push for college I really need the Internet in order for me to excel academically.”

Her mother Ann Barbour said, “Now I don’t have to worry about my daughter having to always go to the library. She’s safe in her own home, in her own environment.”

Ingrid Jackson, a Digital Inclusion customer, said that without Wireless Philadelphia “We’d all be fighting for computers at the library.”

Hercules Jones signed up for internet service through Wireless Philadelphia and uses it at his home in Southwest Philly. "Having the service in your home allows you to do a lot of things such as research, look for jobs, look for education or funding to get education," he said.

Gizela Lopez, Director of Training Programs at Nueva Esperanza, highlights some of her organization's clients:

• "Shontaya Moses makes getting into the internet a family affair. She gets on-line with her children to look up recipes -just the other day they made Jell-O jigglers."
  
• "For Christina Koch, having access to wireless internet has been beneficial not only for completing homework assignments, but also to plan her wedding."
  
• "In Brendaliz Cortes' case, it has been very helpful for doing research for school projects as well as on-line shopping. She is also working on introducing her two-year-old daughter to the computer."
  
• "For Christina Gonzalez, the wireless internet service has been very handy, especially after beginning the internship phase of the Esperanza job-training program. She is able to log into the ICDL website at home and practice what she has learned in the classroom."
  
• "Also, Celisdary Medina said that she and her family utilize the wireless internet services on a daily basis."
  

Cesar DeLaRosa told the New York Times, "If we don’t have Internet, that means I’ve got to take the bus to the public library after dark, and around here, that’s not always real safe."

His sister Thomasa said, "Our whole house is totally different now. For us and a lot of people in this neighborhood, the Internet is like a path out of here."

The New York Times Editorial Board wrote, "Broadband service is no longer a luxury. It has become a basic part of the infrastructure of education and democracy."

Carol Ellison, a nationally-recognized authority on broadband issues, praised Wireless Philadelphia's Digital Inclusion program in a recent post on MuniWireless.com. "Wireless Philadelphia is scoring significant victories that bolster the strength of its digital inclusion programs," she wrote in reference to two major grants WP received in January, 2008.

"This is not only a significant gift to WP, it represents a significant return that the group will be able to deliver to Philadelphia. Better yet for other muni programs aimed at addressing the digital divide, WP and the growing number of foundations that support its efforts are demonstrating that these programs can make significant differences in the lives of the community."

Marguerite Reardon of CNET News.com wrote, "Philadelphia was the first city to make bridging the digital divide its primary objective for building a citywide Wi-Fi network."

Click here to view statements of support from our partners in the community.