In December 2018, the first of two conferences aimed at promoting blockchain technology and establishing itself as a destination for blockchain companies took place in Cleveland. The biggest proponent of this idea was Bernie Moreno, who is currently the Republican candidate in the US Senate race in Ohio. Moreno’s plans did not end with the Blockland conference. He started his own company using blockchain to manage vehicle titles and dreamed of redeveloping downtown Tower City Center into Unit — a mixed-use space that houses tech companies and startups.
But three years later the effort was dead. Moreno, in his first bid for U.S. Senate, left Blockland because he didn’t want the community “tarnished by the division and vitriol that pervades our current political environment” This was announced by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert fresh plans for Tower Citynot to mention City Block.
However, according to Moreno, it was not a total loss. In 2019, he claimed that the Blockland initiative prompted AT&T to bring 5G service to Cleveland.
“AT&T is considering rolling out 5G in Cleveland,” he said Smart Cleveland Business Dealers this April. “This probably wouldn’t have happened without the efforts of Blockland and the people involved.”
IN Cuyahoga County Finance and Budget Committee meeting a few months later, Moreno said, “AT&T has made the decision to deploy 5G in Cleveland — the first in Ohio and likely the first fully deployed city in America if it fits into the schedule.”
However, the recording shows otherwise. One in which Blockland was less an attraction for AT&T than a fresh platform to lobby for infrastructure improvements the company was already planning. The episode shows Moreno interacting with major corporate interests and enhancing his reputation in the process.
AT&T plans
AT&T’s earliest announcements about the 5G network date back to 2016. In December, the company announced the implementation 5G network at Intel’s offices in Austin. To put it simply, 5G is simply the latest technology standard for mobile devices, after 3G and 4G, which will eventually be overtaken by 6G. Its wider rollout was inevitable, and AT&T took action quickly.
In April 2017, before the standards were finalized, the company began advertising what it called “The evolution of 5G” in parts of Austin, Texas. This service was essentially an enhanced 4G connection, which the company routinely described as laying the foundation for 5G. AT&T expected to deploy the technology in 20 metro areas by the end of 2017.
The following year, AT&T announced plans to launch real 5G services in a dozen citiesand in April he touted the development of the 5G evolution on over 100 fresh marketsincluding Columbus. The announcement said they would roll out the 5G evolution in 500 markets, including Cleveland, by the end of the year. That’s more than six months before the first Blockland conference, and while AT&T’s 5G evolution service isn’t a true 5G connection, Ohio’s major cities were part of the company’s plans.
And in early 2019 – just a few weeks after Blockland – the company was already looking at cities and predicting that “nationwide coverage of the 5G mobile network” for early 2020. The press release boasted that “we have taken the typical 18-month cycle from standards finalization to go-to-market and shortened it to 6 months.”
State and local lobbying
As AT&T rushed to push 5G coverage across the country, it also lobbied leaders at the Ohio Statehouse and Cleveland City Hall. This effort began years before Blockland and was intended to lay the groundwork for 5G across the state.
In tardy 2016, the company secured the passage of legislation limiting the fees municipalities can charge telecommunications companies to install “small cell” wireless infrastructure. IN Press release, AT&T Ohio CEO Adam Grzybicki described how the legislation would encourage multimillion-dollar investments in wireless infrastructure. “This investment will also help pave the way for 5G mobile services in the coming years.”
However, these provisions were included in a bill cracking down on puppy mills and prohibiting cities from setting their own minimum wage. A total of 80 cities, including Cleveland, sued the state over restrictions on wireless expansion, and courts struck down the measure in 2017 because it violated the single-entity rule.
A year later, lawmakers adopted a fresh solution developed in consultation with local leaders and AT&T. Again, supporters like Verizon referenced the upcoming rollout of 5G in committee testimony. Then-Governor John Kasich signed the act, which took effect in August 2018.
Later that month, Grzybicki wrote to then-Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson complaining about the ponderous approval process for AT&T’s deployment efforts.
“AT&T has been working with (Cleveland) Legal and other contacts in the Mayor’s office for over a year to secure the miniature cell contract,” he wrote, adding: “As you know, miniature cell technology is critical to bringing 5G to cities like Cleveland.
And Grzybicki praised Columbus’ diligent efforts to reach a miniature cell agreement and promised to share information about the agreement “if you find it helpful.”
Moreno’s inaugural Blockland conference took place in December, about three months later.
When Grzybicki wrote to Mayor Jackson the following February, still frustrated by the ponderous pace of permitting, he cited Blockland. However, in his words, the conference was not so much a magnet for AT&T, but rather a warning to the mayor.
“There was a lively discussion about the importance of 5G in ensuring the dynamics of blockchain development,” he wrote. “The blockchain community has clearly heard the call to action and is looking forward to the implementation of these technologies.”
This “fierce discussion” was led in part by AT&T itself. When Moreno spoke before the Cuyahoga County Finance and Budget Committee, he shared a “fireside chat” with Blockland that included John Donovan, then-CEO of AT&T Communications, and Beth Mooney, president and CEO of KeyCorp and an AT&T board member.
Moreno’s answer
Nevertheless, Moreno still insists that Blockland played a major role in convincing AT&T to introduce 5G in Cleveland.
“Bernie is proud to have helped launch Cleveland’s Blockland initiative in an effort to bring blockchain and other leading technologies to Cleveland,” Reagan McCarthy campaign spokeswoman said in a statement. “These efforts by the all-volunteer Blockland team undoubtedly helped AT&T make the decision to bring 5G to Cleveland, which was a huge win for the city. As a private citizen, he donated his time and resources.”
AT&T declined to comment for this story, as did the person who led one of the Blockland conference’s subgroups, called “nodes.” Grzybicki did not respond to an email requesting comment. Additionally, Moreno’s campaign recommended a person associated with the conference and AT&T, but this person did not respond to attempts to contact him by text message or telephone.
In November of that year, attacking Moreno’s Democratic opponent, McCarthy added: “By contrast, (U.S. Sen.) Sherrod Brown has done nothing to help NE Ohio attract cutting-edge companies.”
Senator Brown, of course, attended the landing of the Intel plant currently under construction in Licking County. Brown, his former U.S. Senate colleague Rob Portman and virtually every official in Ohio argued that the facility’s impact would be felt across the state.
In northeastern Ohio specifically, Brown’s campaign noted that he had lobbied for federal investment in Akron’s sustainable polymers efforts to benefit the rubber industry, and urged the Biden administration to protect steelworkers by blocking U.S. Steel sales and cracking down on unfair trade practices . Brown also supported and voted for the CHIPS Act of 2022, which included historic funding for domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
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