Most people know, I’m a strong advocate for bridging the digital divide. That’s why I work with great organizations like Connecting For Good that help make sure everyone has equal access to technology. While there are problems in Kansas City and Lawrence, this report shows AT&T is making it worse.
What that link states is things we’ve seen for a while: richer areas get better internet at the expense of lower-income areas. This is precisely what we’ve seen in Lawrence, KS. The west-side of town gets the latest internet advances, including Google-like speeds. Meanwhile, our clients in the Eastern and Northern parts of Lawrence see the quality of their internet decline. We have some clients on AT&T DSL that get speeds below that of our average mobile phone. AT&T declines to invest in keeping up the technologies. Some clients try to switch to MIDCO, but the nature of that technology makes it difficult to get in some multi-family dwellings.
What can we do about it? First, let AT&T know they should invest more in all of Lawrence. Second, be sure to let the FTC and FCC know of your disappointment. Finally, and you guessed it, I’m going to suggest the City of Lawrence assist by supporting municipal broadband.
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