Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s latest rental and utility assistance program is now open for tenants and landlords

This article states that Philadelphia's rental assistance program now includes funds for renters' utility payments, up to $2,000 each for water, electric, and gas. This is in addition to the $2,000 monthly for rent payments. This is made possible because of the $97 million in federal funds...Read more

COVID-19: Our latest updates as Philadelphia responds to COVID-19

This pdf shows the outlined contents of the Philadelphia Water Department's COVID-19 resource page. On this page, you can also find the information they have posted on the Water Rate Case hearings occurring March 16-March 18, 2021.Read more

Free internet access available for some now struggling to afford it, city says

Philadelphia is extending it's free PHLConnectED program, which provides no cost connections, to families who have children recieving special education services or are English-language learners, and those who participate in public benefit programs with income qualifications 

City...Read more

How to lower your energy bills

Since many people are changing their behavior during COVID-19 to reduce their energy consumption, the article opens by stating that the combination of colder weather and COVID-19 will require people to warm their homes while using less energy. As many other articles here state, energy...Read more

Peco improperly shut off nearly 50,000 customers because of computer glitches

This article provides an update on a case of technical negligence by PECO in 2018 and 2019, when their automated phone service which informs customers of a service shutoff 72-hours ahead of the termination failed to make the call (2018) or gave the wrong termination date (2019). This article...Read more

ECA Newsletter - April 3, 2020

This monthly newsletter was written by executive director Steve Luxton and gave an update on what is happening at ECA during the COVID19 shutdown.Read more

Unpaid Pa. utility bills soar 68% in the pandemic, and thousands face shutoffs next month

This article documents the end of the utility shutoffs suspension in Pennsylvania, which will take place on November 9, 2020.  

Utilities have said that the moratorium, which was enacted in March, has not led to an increase in payment plan applications, but has instead led to an...Read more

Philadelphia Launches New, Income-Based, Tiered Assistance Program

On June 20th, 2017, the city of Philadelphia announced the Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) which provides customers with significant savings on their water bill by offering a consistent bill based on their income. Program highlights include:

•    Customers do not have to be...Read more

Comcast commits $1B to low-income Internet Essentials program

Comcast has announced that it plans to commit $1 billion dollars to its low-income Internet-Essentials program. This plan will be spread across ten years and includes investments in community Wi-Fi centers, donating laptops and computers to low-income families, grants for nonprofits, and...Read more

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