PROVIDENCE − A tug-of-war over the McKee administration’s proposed use of $108 million in federal “internet for all” dollars has evolved into a lawsuit by Cox Communications against the state.
Cox is seeking to stop the R.I. Commerce Corporation from using a “flawed mapping and challenge process to build redundant broadband internet infrastructure in some of Rhode Island’s wealthiest communities … while ignoring residents truly in need of better broadband service and financial assistance to pay for it.”
Put another way: Cox alleges that Commerce plans to spend “millions of dollars building internet infrastructure in … [areas] where residents already have access to high-speed internet.”
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That includes “homes in Barrington on Rumstick Road and Nayatt Point and mansions along Ocean Drive in Newport … at the expense of Central Falls, Woonsocket and Providence,” according to Cox VP Stephanie Federico.