Data show some low-income residents in Los Angeles are paying more than their wealthier neighbors for slower internet service — but no law prevents service providers from offering higher rates in one community over another.
“The ideal would be that all families in Los Angeles get access to affordable, if not free, high-speed internet,” said Elmer Roldan, executive director of Communities in Schools Los Angeles. The group is part of a coalition called Digital Equity Los Angeles (DELA) that’s pushing the city to legally define and address “digital discrimination.”
Roldan said his organization worked with two boys who attended the same school and lived on the same street but in different parts of town. One student had five times the internet speed at home — “even though it was the exact same company, exact same package,” he said.
Los Angeles could become the first city in the nation to end digital discrimination and hold internet providers accountable for offering slower, costlier broadband in low-income communities.
On Tuesday, Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson is expected to introduce a motion that would direct the city attorney to work with community-based groups and create a process for organizations to submit complaints on behalf of a larger group of residents.
The city would also be tasked with analyzing these complaints, including demographic information, and be required to report annually on any potential trends. More than 200,000 households across Los Angeles County lack internet service, according to the U.S. Census.
This comes a month after the Federal Communications Commission adopted new rules to stop broadband providers from digitally discriminating against customers based on race, income and other protected traits. The order allows the…
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