Two Broward County residents, Gwen Hudson and Cynthia Martin, are named in the lawsuit, which seeks class-action status and was filed Monday at the U.S. District Court in West Palm Beach. The suit claims AT&T Broadband bypassed poor neighborhoods while offering high-speed access to more affluent areas, a practice known as "redlining."
In a statement, AT&T Broadband rejected any claim of redlining and said it would oppose the lawsuit. The company also said it was confident the lawsuit wouldn't affect the expected October close of its merger with Comcast Corp.
Christopher Larmoyeux, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, said the lawsuit aims to stop the sale until AT&T Broadband provides service to poor and minority neighborhoods as federal law requires. It also seeks monetary damages.
"Really, this is about leaving people with Model T's as opposed to jet airplanes because of economic well-being and the color of their skin, and that's just wrong," he said.
Larmoyeux said that in Broward County, where AT&T Broadband holds several franchises, one percent of eligible black households have access to high-speed broadband Internet service as opposed to virtually 100 percent of eligible white households.
One plaintiff had high-speed cable Internet access but moved to another area and couldn't get service. The other plaintiff has had repeated problems with her service.
The suit claims AT&T Broadband falsified customer satisfaction claims and billed for services that were not provided.
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