Cox Communications has filed a lawsuit against the state of Rhode Island, alleging that the R.I. Commerce Corp. mismanaged the rollout of a $108 million broadband expansion plan funded by the federal government. The 33-page complaint, filed in Providence Superior Court on Monday, claims that R.I. Commerce used “flawed data” to justify the expansion of taxpayer-subsidized high-speed internet in areas that are already well-served.
According to Stephanie Federico, vice president of public and government affairs at Cox, “We know their analysis is flawed because current providers already deliver high-speed internet access to the very locations and areas they say are underserved.”
The lawsuit contends that federal data shows 99.3% of Rhode Island already has access to high-speed internet, with only 0.7% of the state remaining “unserved.” It specifically challenges a proposed map from Gov. Daniel J.
Cox challenges R.I. broadband expansion
McKee’s administration, which lists 30,000 underserved locations, including homes in some of Rhode Island’s wealthiest neighborhoods, like Barrington and Newport. Federico added, “Unfortunately, the Commerce plan and flawed mapping focus on parts of the state like Barrington, Newport, and Jamestown at the expense of Central Falls, Woonsocket, and Providence. This program may not have gotten a lot of attention, but mayors and elected officials in urban core communities should be concerned because their constituents are getting left behind.”
The lawsuit also mentions that Cox was asked to pay $52,000 to process an Access to Public Records request to obtain the data used for the state’s broadband map.
R.I. Commerce spokesperson Matthew Touchette said, “Rhode Island Commerce has not read the complaint, as we have not yet been served.” McKee spokesperson Olivia DaRocha referred questions to R.I. Commerce. In addition to the lawsuit, Cox filed a petition for a declaratory order against R.I. Commerce, requesting more time to challenge the state’s broadband plan due to concerns with testing requirements and a public records request. Stephen Iannazzi, director of government affairs at Cox, wrote that the state’s testing requirements were significantly more labor-intensive than those in other states, calling them “extremely expensive and burdensome even if it were possible.”
Brian Thorn, director of broadband strategy for R.I. Commerce, responded that Cox’s counter-proposal is “effectively a rewritten testing standard based on policy preferences.” Thorn also noted that the testing provisions were rigorously scrutinized by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and approved only after significant changes to ensure accuracy in the Rhode Island broadband map.
