AT&T Accused of Digital Redlining in Cleveland

improvements from most Cleveland neighborhoods with high poverty rates," said an NDIA release Thursday, citing mapping analysis it and Connect Your Community did of mid-2016 broadband data collected by the FCC on Form 477 industry submissions. NDIA said many Cleveland residents have been declared ineligible for AT&T discounts because they lack access to 3 Mbps download capacity as required. The telco hasn't extended "Fiber to the Node" very-high-bit-rate DSL facilities to most Cleveland census blocks, including the vast majority of those with high poverty rates, even though it's "now the standard" in surrounding suburbs and other urban AT&T markets, the group said. "Those neighborhoods have been relegated to an older, slower" asymmetric DSL technology, it said. These practices are "classic redlining" contrary to universal service principles, said Public Knowledge Senior Policy Counsel Phillip Berenbroick in a release. The company believes internet access is essential, "which is why we've continuously invested in expanding service and enhancing speeds," emailed a representative. “The report does not accurately reflect the investment we've made in bringing faster internet to urban and rural areas across the U.S. While we are investing in broadband, we’re also investing in technologies that will mitigate some of the infrastructure limitations.” AT&T invested $135 billion in its wireless and wired networks from 2012 to 2016 (including wireless spectrum/asset buys), "more in the U.S. than any other public company," the telco rep said, noting various technology trials it's conducting to increase speeds and efficiencies over copper and fiber networks.