Cox drops challenge to R.I. high-speed internet plan

A dispute over the data used to develop Rhode Island’s $108 million high-speed internet program has been dropped, though details of the compromise are still fuzzy.
Cox Communications and Rhode Island Commerce Corporation in a joint statement on Friday announced their legal spat had been “voluntarily dismissed,” allowing the Ocean State to proceed with next steps in its Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The $42 billion program authorized under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aims to bring high-speed internet to underserved communities nationwide.
Cox in September challenged Rhode Island’s plan for how to spend the state’s share of federal funding, contending Rhode Island Commerce relied on inaccurate and outdated broadband maps which incorrectly identified 30,000 homes statewide as “underserved communities” in need of a better connection.
The complaint was originally filed in Providence County Superior Court. After a state judge ruled details of the federally administered program were better left to federal court, Cox appealed to the state Supreme Court.
The appeal has been dropped as of Jan. 16, according to court documents. The notice to dismiss the appeal does not offer any explanation for the decision, or settlement terms.
Matt Touchette, a spokesperson for Commerce, initially referred a request for comment on details of the settlement to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which is overseeing the broadband rollout to states.
Touchette later offered additional explanation via email.
“We were able to refine the identification of served, unserved, and underserved locations, as defined by the NTIA, across Rhode Island,” Touchette said. “Supplemental information provided by Cox allowed us to better pinpoint additional served locations, including those supported by existing networks and those that Cox has committed to build.”
A spokesperson for NTIA declined to comment. Cox did not respond to questions on Tuesday.
However, the internet service provider hinted that it has gotten at least some of what it asked for.
“The finalized maps represent our network throughout Rhode Island and Cox’s performance in those service areas,” Stephanie Federico, a Cox spokesperson, said in a statement on Friday. “Although we did not prevail on every front, the approved maps allay our concerns related to overbuilding and the creation of duplicative networks. As a result, Cox has withdrawn all legal challenges related to the state’s BEAD deployment plan.”
Cox is the fifth largest internet service provider and largest private broadband company nationwide, serving 7 million homes and businesses across 18 states. In Rhode Island, it competes primarily with Verizon, as local internet service providers have largely disappeared, although Block Island began its own municipal broadband service in 2023.
The resolution of the legal dispute allows Rhode Island to check another box on the to-do list for the detailed federal program: the formal challenge process to its proposal.
“The approval of Rhode Island’s BEAD Challenge Process allows us to proceed with this historic investment of $108.7 million into Rhode Island,” Rhode Island Commerce Secretary Liz Tanner said in a statement. “This federal funding is crucial for Rhode Island to remain competitive in today’s fast-paced economy.”
Bringing high-speed internet to Rhode Island neighborhoods won’t happen quickly. Rhode Island still has to seek bids from contractors interested in carrying out pieces of the multi-million dollar program, then submit those proposals to federal regulators for final approval, due no later than July 2025.
Ahead of the change in presidential administration, federal regulators announced on Dec. 23 that they were streamlining some of the requirements to help states get money out the door more quickly.
How President Donald Trump might attempt to hold up the Biden-era initiative, if at all, remains unclear.
“We’re proceeding as if everything is happening,” Touchette said in an interview on Tuesday. “We’re watching closely. It’s only day two.”
Updated to include additional comment from Rhode Island Commerce and a response from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
