NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Check it out, New Orleans! A neighborhood near you is getting more tech-savvy.

Thursday (May 4th) Mayor LaToya Cantrell, CEO Larry Barabino, Jr. of the New Orleans Recreation Development, and Director of State and Local Government Affairs for Verizon Tandra LeMay celebrated bridging the digital divide with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for mobile computer labs across the city.

The mobile labs, in partnership with Verizon, will be available at the following NORD locations:

• Cut-Off Recreation Center (6600 Belgrade St.)
• Treme Recreation Center (900 N. Villere St.)
• Joe W. Brown Recreation Center (5601 Read Blvd.)
• John P. Lyons Recreation Center (624 Louisiana Ave.)
• Gernon Brown Recreation Center (1001 Harrison Ave.)
• Stallings St. Claude Recreation Center (4300 St. Claude Ave.)
• Milne Recreation Center (5420 Franklin Ave.)
• Rosenwald Recreation Center (1120 S. Broad St.)

The labs will are equipped with backup generators, providing residents with safe and timely access to technology after a citywide disaster.

“Our citywide survey of Internet connectivity and access found that 44 percent of young people in New Orleans live in poverty and do not have Internet access. Providing reliable technology at our NORD sites across the city will help connect and equip our young people with better opportunities, as well as help some of our most vulnerable residents gain access to digital literacy trainings and other critical resources to move their lives forward in a more positive direction. We welcome the commitment of our national partners like Verizon to help level the digital playing field and bring all our residents and businesses into the 21st century. By bridging the digital divide, we are emerging stronger as a city and are fully in the position to grow,” stated Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

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