CWA on AT&T U-verse statement, This is What Fast Means

On April 21, AT&T announced that a major expansion of its U-verse broadband service, This would be “... a major initiative to expand its ultra-fast fiber network to up to 100 candidate cities and municipalities nationwide, including 21 new major metropolitan areas.”

In response, the Communications Workers of America praised the announcement, saying, “This is What Fast Means.” Below is the text of CWA’s response.

Washington, D.C. –The Communications Workers of America praised AT&T’s decision to expand its ultra-fast fiber network to some 100 cities nationwide.  The fiber network will deliver AT&T’s U-verse at broadband speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second.

For more than eight years, CWA’s “Speed Matters” campaign has pushed for the expansion of true high-speed fiber networks in the U.S. as necessary to keep pace with economic growth, job creation and global competition.  Speed matters on the Internet, and CWA has been calling for policies to promote faster Internet speeds and higher capacity networks.

AT&T’s network build-out is “world changing, as more communities come on line with fiber networks that are 100 times faster than what they have today,” said CWA President Larry Cohen.  “This is what fast means. It will be great for our members and overall employment, will accelerate business and economic development, provide for new and not-yet-realized services, make state-of-the-art television and other services available to consumers, and help the U.S. regain its place as a leader in true high-speed accessibility,” he said.

AT&T said it also is working with local communities on plans to provide options for public Wi-Fi hotspots, free AT&T U-verse with speeds of 1 Gigabit per second at public sites and other expansion of its ultra-fast network.

AT&T Eyes 100 U.S. Cities and Municipalities for its Ultra-Fast Fiber Network (AT&T news release, Apr.21, 2014)

This is what fast means (CWA news release, Apr. 21, 2014)