An update on our last post...
CNN Money reported on Friday, and AT&T has now confirmed, that the company has reconsidered its earlier decision to deny “Access From AT&T” discount service to thousands of SNAP households living in areas of Cleveland and Detroit where Internet speeds are less than 3 mbps down.
From the CNN Money story:
The National Digital Inclusion Alliance, a public interest group, pushed AT&T to make the $5 a month offer available for customers whose service doesn’t reach 3 Mbps.
AT&T at first said it would stick to the strict terms of the FCC order. But Friday, after a series of stories appeared in tech media and on CNNMoney, the company changed course.
“We’re currently working to expand the eligibility process of Access from AT&T to the 2% of our home internet customers unable to receive internet speed tiers of 3 Mbps and above,” said spokesman Brett Levecchio.
Here’s the National Digital Inclusion Alliance’s statement in response.
NDIA first approached AT&T about the problem after CYC reported that eligible applicants in Cleveland were being turned down for $5-$10 Access connections because the maximum AT&T Internet speeds available at their homes were too low.
It seems those households and their eligible neighbors will soon be able to get Access service after all, thanks to what NDIA calls AT&T’s “change of heart”.