Cleveland Investments Help Narrow the Digital Divide

Molly Kocour Boyle – President, AT&T Ohio
May 21, 2024
Community Impact


Cleveland Investments Help Narrow the Digital Divide

Investing in our Communities 

In the Cleveland, Ohio area, we invested more than $550 million in our network infrastructure from 2019-2023 to connect more people to greater possibility. 

We understand how a connection can make the difference. That’s why our mission is to bring connectivity to everyone, no matter where they live or where they come from. We’re working to not only boost network reliability and capacity but also expand broadband nationwide to help bridge the digital divide. 

“Closing the digital divide is critical to Greater Cleveland’s growth and prosperity, and the local investment being made by AT&T shows their focus on this priority,” said Baiju Shah, President & CEO, Greater Cleveland Partnership. “We appreciate the leadership and partnership of AT&T as they invest in their fiber and wireless networks here, continuing to increase Clevelanders’ connectivity.” 

Committed to expanding connectivity, our investment focuses on all facets of the network —including fiber, 5G and FirstNet®, Built with AT&T 

  • Expanding Access to Fiber: To help meet the demands for reliable, high-speed connections today – and in the future – we’re investing in our fiber network. With more than 2.4 million strand-miles of fiber optics in Ohio, AT&T Fiber® is now available to more than 820,000 customer locations in 130 cities across the state, including Bay Village, Beachwood, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Berea, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Brook Park, Brooklyn, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, Eastlake, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Highland Heights, Independence, Lakewood, Lyndhurst, Maple Heights, Mayfield Heights, Mentor, Middleburg Heights, North Olmsted, North Royalton, Olmsted Falls, Parma, Parma Heights, Richmond Heights, Rocky River, Seven Hills, Shaker Heights, Solon, South Euclid, Strongsville, University Heights, Valley View, Walton Hills, Warrensville Heights, Westlake, Wickliffe, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, and Willowick 
    • With nearly 87 million fiber strand miles in 21 states, AT&T Fiber® now passes 26M+ locations in more than 100 metros. 
    • AT&T Fiber provides speed, reliability and value for consumers and businesses to enhance their internet experience for applications like video conferencing, virtual learning, telehealth, gaming and more. 
  • Unlocking the Power of 5G: From rural communities to urban areas, our overall wireless voice and data network covers more than 99% of all Americans, including Ohio. Our 5G network today reaches more than 295 million people in more than 24,500 cities and towns across the U.S. with our mid-band spectrum available nationwide, covering more than 210 million people.  
    • We’re working with businesses from manufacturing to healthcare to create new innovations and increase efficiencies with AT&T 5G. 
    • We’re ramping up performance in high traffic areas, like airports, stadiums, and venues.
    • For less densely populated areas like Concord Township, we’re expanding our 5G network so people there can have access to reliable connectivity. 
  • Giving First Responders the Reliable Connectivity they Need: As America’s public safety communication partner, we are expanding and enhancing FirstNet to give the public safety community better access to their network. Setting the stage for first responder innovation over the next 10 years, the FirstNet Authority announced a series of strategic investments totaling more than $8 billion into FirstNet. The latest network investment of $6.3 billion will enable AT&T to deliver a standalone FirstNet 5G core, provide always-on priority and preemption across all AT&T 5G commercial spectrum bands and build 1,000 new FirstNet sites across the country over the next two years.  
    • In Ohio, we’re connecting public safety agencies and organizations in more than 450 cities across the state, including Avon, Bay Village, Beachwood, Bedford, Bratenahl, Brook Park, Brooklyn Heights, Brunswick, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, East Cleveland, Garfield Heights, Grafton, Highland Heights, Kelleys Island, Lorain, Maple Heights, Medina, North Ridgeville, Norwalk, Olmsted Falls, Painesville, Parma, Pepper Pike, Put-In-Bay, Sheffield Village, Strongsville, University Heights, Vermilion, Walton Hills, Warrensville Heights, Westlake, and Willowick.
    • We’ve rolled out Band 14 on nearly 2,000 sites across Ohio to provide public safety with truly dedicated coverage and capacity when they need it. 

And we’re not just investing in our network, we’re also investing in our communities. AT&T recently announced it’s committing an additional $3 billion by 2030 to help close the digital divide, bringing the company’s total commitment to $5 billion since 2021. 

  • To help bridge the divide in Ohio, more than 1,500 families received free laptop computers from AT&T in 2023, and two AT&T Connected Learning Centers served more than 800 Clevelanders, providing more than 12,000 hours of digital literacy training. Read more. 

Good news is always great to share. Here are a few highlights from the last year in Ohio: 

  • March 26, 2024 | AT&T Fiber Broadband Now Available to More People in Ohio. Learn more. 
  • December 12, 2023 | Ohio Families Connect to Digital Learning. Learn more. 
  • May 25, 2023 | Building a Strong Broadband Workforce in Ohio. Learn more.  

To keep up with all the latest updates from AT&T Ohio, follow us on Twitter @ATTPublicPolicy, online at attconnects.com/ohio and on LinkedIn. 

 

*FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. 

*About AT&T  

We help more than 100 million U.S. families, friends and neighbors, plus nearly 2.5 million businesses, connect to greater possibility. From the first phone call 140+ years ago to our 5G wireless and multi-gig internet offerings today, we @ATT innovate to improve lives. For more information about AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), please visit us at about.att.com. Investors can learn more at investors.att.com.  

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