Three Cleveland women are accusing AT&T of excluding poorer, black neighborhoods from high-speed internet service in a kind of high-tech redlining.
The complaint to the FCC alleges unjust discrimination and violations to the Communications Act. Hough, Glenville and Fairfax are among the neighborhoods listed.
Florida-based attorney Daryl Parks filed the complaint on behalf of the women.
“It has a very real effect on educational opportunities, healthcare opportunities and employment opportunities that people in those areas can have…(and AT&T) can’t dispute they did not put high-speed fiber in these areas. Their own maps show it.”
The complaint also uses findings from the National Digital Inclusion Alliance, which provided evidence of AT&T providing different qualities of service to different neighborhoods.
In a statement, AT&T responded it does not redline and that its commitment to diversity and inclusion is unparalleled. The company says its investment decisions are based on the cost of deployment and demand for services and are fully compliant with the requirements of the Communications Act.
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