Complete Story
08/28/2017
Clevelanders file FCC complaint accusing AT&T of denying high-speed internet access to poor neighborhoods
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Three Cleveland women have filed an FCC complaint against AT&T, saying the telecommunications company is denying poor, black neighborhoods in Cleveland the same high-speed internet services that it provides to more well-off portions of the city and surrounding suburbs.
The complaint, filed this week with the Federal Communications Commission, says the slow internet speeds that AT&T provides in those areas either hinder or outright prevent residents from performing tasks that many take for granted, such as watching videos or downloading documents.
AT&T provides other portions of Cleveland and the rest of Cuyahoga County with higher internet speeds, the complaint says.
Daryl Parks, a Tallahassee, Florida attorney who filed the complaint, likened access to high-speed broadband capabilities to providing electricity. It should be available to all citizens, even if some residents have trouble paying their monthly electric bills, he said.
The complaint was filed by Cleveland residents Joanne Elkins, Hattie Lanfair and Rachelle Lee. It accuses AT&T of "digital redlining," or discriminating against low-income residents by not offering the same service options as people who live in neighborhoods with less poverty.
