News5 Cleveland (WEWS): Digital divide in Cleveland among worst in the country

From the broadcast:

Living in the Stone Age – that is how some AT&T customers in Cleveland describe the quality of the internet service they’re getting from the communications giant.

The company is accused of failing to upgrade certain communities in the city with faster fiber technology.

Civil rights attorney Daryl Parks is representing three Cleveland women who he says live in neighborhoods with slow internet. 

Turns out, many Clevelanders have no home connection at all.

With so much of what we do these days online, it is so shocking to learn about 40% of households in the City of Cleveland do not have internet access.

Nationally, that number sits at 15%.

There are several reasons we have so many people unable to stay connected at home.

Rachelle Lee is studying early childhood education at Cuyahoga County Community College. She told News 5 her AT&T internet connection is very slow.

“It takes forever to open up the page, to get online,” said Lee.

Doing schoolwork at home is nearly impossible.

“I do go to the Woodland branch library,” said Lee.

Lee is one of the plaintiffs in the complaint filed against AT&T.