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Philly daily roundup: Rec center Wi-Fi; Spark Therapeutics layoffs; City launches Idea Accelerator

Plus, quantum computing could be the next big thing, and major tech companies are continuing to invest in the tech.

ICOSAHEDRON SCULPTURE MADE OUT OF RECYCLED WATER BOTTLES AT THE ARTS LEAGUE (SARAH HUFFMAN/TECHNICAL.LY)

Verizon provides internet to 183 rec centers

Verizon renewed its franchise agreement with the City of Philadelphia a few weeks ago. As part of that deal, the internet service provider will install internet into 183 rec centers across the city.

“That strategy [is], let’s use as many opportunities as we can for digital equity,” Steve Robertson from the Office of Innovation and Technology told Technical.ly.

➡️ Read more about how Verizon plans to roll out this project

A developer’s pivot to working for local gov

Eliot Pearson is the chief of enterprise applications at the government of Baltimore County. But before that, he was a programmer and held technical positions at AOL, Oath, Verizon Media, technical training firm Catalyte and advertising tech company Enradius.

He also gives back to the community as a board member for Code in Schools and advisor at Enradius.

➡️ Read more about Pearson’s love of the Baltimore tech community

News Incubator: What else to know today

• There were shots fired at a campaign event over the weekend for former president Donald Trump. It happened right outside of Pittsburgh near the headquarters of American Glass Research. [Technical.ly]

• Quantum computing could be the next big thing, and major tech companies are continuing to invest in the tech. [Technical.ly]

• Gene therapy company Spark Therapeutics is laying off some employees. The company is the home of the first FDA-approved gene therapy Luxterna and is currently building its new Gene Therapy Innovation Center. [Philly Biz Journal/Technical.ly]

• The City of Philadelphia’s Innovation team announced a new program called the Idea Accelerator, which will support innovation projects within the city. [City of Philadelphia]

• Do you know an exceptional technologist? Nominate them for this year’s RealLIST Engineers list in Philly. [Technical.ly]

🗓️ On the Calendar

• Philly Data and AI is hosting its monthly happy hour on July 16. [More details]

• Are you interested in the platform Snowflake, networking and light refreshments? Join Philadelphia Snowflake meetup group on July 17. [More details]

Sarah Huffman is a 2022-2024 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The Groundtruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. This position is supported by the Lenfest Institute for Journalism.

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