Chicago announces campaign to address its “device gap”

Chicago has launched a month-long campaign to try to close the “device gap” that exists in the city and address the issue of digital exclusion in many households.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, in partnership with World Business Chicago, is encouraging the city’s business community and large organisations to donate computers and laptops no longer in use to be refurbished and given to families who need a device.

Digital equity barriers

According to Census data, as many as 260,000 Chicago households don’t have a computer at home. Through the Chicago Digital Equity Council, 61 per cent of participants discussed affordability as a barrier to digital equity, with 29 per cent saying that devices are too costly. In a citywide survey of more than 3,000 residents, nearly half of respondents without a device are living in extreme poverty.

The City is partnering with two non-profits, PCs for People and Compudopt, who accept retired computers and laptops, data-wipe and refurbish them, and provide them to households for free or a low cost.

“Together, we possess a real opportunity to provide tangible and life-changing impact on our fellow residents, fostering an inclusive and interconnected future for all”  

 “The digital divide disproportionately impacts South and West Side communities and has a severe impact on our youth and students. This is why I am committed to ensuring that every student has a laptop, tablet or computer at home,” said Johnson.

“I am proud to launch Chi Device Donation Month, which will help put these devices into the hands of students and their families, and remove a long-standing barrier to achievement, employment, and helping Chicagoans thrive well into the 21st century.”