Investing in our Communities
In Rhode Island, we invested more than $110 million in our network infrastructure from 2019-2023 to connect more people to greater possibility.
Cities and communities throughout Rhode Island are seeing the impacts of this investment, including:
- Nearly $150 million in Providence-Warwick (Includes parts of MA)
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.
Committed to expanding connectivity, our investment focuses on all facets of the network —including fiber, 5G and FirstNet®, Built with AT&T.
- 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 Rhode Island. 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.
- Our 5G network is in cities such as Providence.
- 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 Rhode Island, we’re connecting public safety agencies, first responders, and organizations in nearly 40 cities across the state, including Bristol, Cranston, North Kingstown, Providence and more.
- We’ve rolled out Band 14 on nearly 100 sites across Rhode Island 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.
Good news is always great to share. Here are some highlights from the last year in Rhode Island:
Making Climate Data Actionable for RI Communities: From businesses to local leaders to government officials, all of us must work together to discover new strategies and reshape what it means to be resilient. As part of AT&T’s work to address climate change, we teamed up with the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to develop the Climate Risk and Resilience Portal, or ClimRR. ClimRR serves as a free, publicly accessible portal, providing localized data projections. AT&T’s John Emra and Jessica Filante Farrington penned an oped that ran across the state about ClimRR. Read more.
In Support of Rhode Island First Responders: State Representative Jacquelyn Baginski penned an opinion piece for the Cranston Herald that discussed the need to provide more robust health and wellness opportunities to first responders. She also focused in part on women in public safety. The author cited a survey and analysis done by the FirstNet Health and Wellness Coalition, which found that both male and female first responders see an opportunity to engage in addressing their health and wellness risk factors. Read more.
To keep up with all the latest updates from AT&T Rhode Island, follow us on Twitter @ATTPublicPolicy and @ATTNewEngland, 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.
