Call: 1-877-697-2926

The Broadband Divide Worsened in 32 States in 2026, Ookla Reports

Across the United States, progress toward equitable broadband access has not only stalled—it has reversed in many regions. According to Ookla’s 2025 report, the digital divide expanded in 32 states, with measurable declines in both availability and performance of high-speed internet. Despite multiple federal and state-level initiatives over the past decade, millions remain underserved or completely disconnected from reliable broadband service.

The implications extend far beyond personal inconvenience. Students who rely on virtual learning, professionals operating remotely, and healthcare providers using telemedicine all depend on fast, stable internet. For policymakers, the data points highlight gaps in infrastructure investment, issues of cost equity, and the underlying inefficiencies in existing broadband programs.

This analysis dives into where and why the divide grew, what these changes mean for Americans' economic and social futures, and how strategic initiatives could close—not widen—the access gap.

Unpacking the Numbers: Inside Ookla’s 2026 Broadband Report

What Makes Ookla a Reliable Source?

Ookla gathers real-world network performance data through its Speedtest platform — a tool that processes millions of internet speed tests daily from devices across the globe. By aggregating this data, Ookla compiles granular insights into download and upload speeds, latency, and service availability at national, state, and even local levels. This dataset does not rely on provider-reported figures or projections. Instead, it reflects user-initiated tests, capturing how networks perform in practice, not just on paper.

The company uses a consistent methodology to ensure fair comparisons across geographies and time periods. Ookla assigns each test to a geographic location based on IP address and network carrier, filters out VPN-based results, and calculates medians for each metric. These medians prevent outliers from skewing the data, providing a more accurate reflection of typical user experiences.

Broadband Divide Worsened in 32 States

The central headline from the 2025 Speedtest Intelligence report: broadband inequality deepened across 32 U.S. states. That’s not an abstract measure. Ookla tracked significant differences in average download speeds and access rates compared year-over-year. While some states made modest improvements, others stalled or backslid as disparities between urban and rural internet speeds increased.

National Trends in Speeds and Latency

Across all geographies, median fixed broadband download speeds rose in 2025 — reaching 247.2 Mbps nationwide, up from 227.3 Mbps the previous year. Upload speeds also increased, with the national median hitting 51.4 Mbps. But those gains were far from uniform. For users in the lowest-performing quartile of ZIP codes, median download speeds remained under 50 Mbps, while the top quartile enjoyed speeds above 300 Mbps.

Latency, a critical measure for video conferencing and online gaming, showed uneven improvement. National average fixed latency dropped from 29 ms to 26 ms. However, rural counties in over a dozen states reported no latency gains, and some saw performance worsen due to aging DSL and cable connections still in use.

The data reveals two Americas: one racing ahead with gigabit speeds and robust infrastructure, the other left buffering. The 2025 report doesn’t just quantify these gaps — it sharpens the picture of where inequities persist and where interventions might make the greatest impact.

The Roots of Inequality: Why the Digital Divide Is Widening in 2026

Geographic Inequalities: Where You Live Still Determines Access

Access to reliable broadband in the U.S. remains starkly divided along geographic lines. Ookla’s report reveals that states with heavy rural populations—such as Mississippi, West Virginia, and Montana—experienced some of the most significant declines in relative connectivity performance in 2025 . While urban areas have seen steady investments from internet service providers, rural communities continue to be underserved.

The primary roadblock lies in the cost-per-mile of deploying infrastructure to low-density areas. Delivering fiber to a single household in a remote county can cost 2 to 3 times more than in a suburban neighborhood, making returns unattractive for providers. As a result, residents in these regions often fall back on outdated DSL lines or unreliable satellite connections, both incapable of supporting modern digital demands like streaming or remote work.

Topography: The Terrain Is Not Just Physical, It's Digital

Topographical features like mountains, canyons, and forests contribute to the complexity and expense of building out broadband networks. In states such as Alaska, Utah, and parts of California, physical terrain creates natural barriers for cable laying and signal transmission. For example, fixed wireless transmissions, which rely on line-of-sight communication, are disrupted by heavy forestation or uneven terrain—resulting in signal degradation and dead zones.

Projects in these areas often require specialized equipment or tunneling techniques, which raise project costs significantly. This discourages providers from entering the market or expanding their footprints further into challenging zones.

Socioeconomic Disparities: When Affordability Overshadows Availability

Connectivity is not only a question of infrastructure—it’s also a matter of cost. In 2025 , data from Pew Research Center shows that 56% of households earning under $30,000 annually cited high costs as the main reason for lacking a home broadband connection. Even in cities where infrastructure exists, families in these income brackets often opt out of subscriptions due to monthly service fees, equipment costs, or credit-based pricing structures.

Low-income urban neighborhoods frequently face "digital redlining," where ISPs have invested less in next-generation infrastructure. These areas may rely on legacy cable internet, capping their speeds at a fraction of what's available in wealthier zip codes just blocks away. Affordability barriers reinforce a cycle: without access, residents miss out on job opportunities, education, and telehealth—deepening existing inequalities.

Technological Inclusion: Access Does Not Equal Usability

Even where service is available and affordable, usage still lags among certain groups. In particular, elderly individuals and marginalized communities often lack the skills or devices needed to fully participate online. According to a report by the National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA), 42% of seniors over 65 do not use the internet regularly, often due to unfamiliarity or discomfort with digital tools.

In marginalized communities, language barriers, lack of localized support services, and inconsistent device availability hinder digital adoption. Households with limited digital literacy cannot capitalize on broadband access, which diminishes the returns of infrastructure expansion programs.

Education and Digital Literacy: The Missing Link in Broadband Access

Access to broadband does not guarantee digital competency. In 2025 , the U.S. Department of Education found that one in four public school students lack basic digital literacy skills by eighth grade. Without structured training, students struggle to use productivity tools, cybersecurity protocols, or online research databases. This educational gap has ripple effects into adulthood, limiting employability and civic engagement.

Well-funded school districts continue to invest in classroom technology and digital curriculum, but underfunded schools—often in underserved or low-income areas—fall behind. The digital divide is expanding not only at the infrastructure level but in knowledge and usage, compounding the long-term impacts of digital exclusion.

Affordability: The Hidden Wall Blocking Broadband Equity

Rising Broadband Costs for U.S. Households

In 2025 , the average cost of internet service rose by 3.8% across the United States, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For many households, these incremental increases accumulate into a monthly expense that chips away at already limited budgets. Urban centers saw moderate price hikes, but rural and semi-rural communities experienced disproportionately higher rates due to limited provider competition and infrastructure maintenance costs.

Ookla's 2025 data shows a direct correlation between regions with widening broadband divides and those with above-average service costs. In states like Mississippi, West Virginia, and New Mexico—where median incomes trail the national average—the burden of rising broadband costs has compounded digital inequity.

Challenges in Affording High-Speed Services

The barrier isn't just access; it's sustaining high-speed service at home. For families earning under $35,000 annually, internet service consuming 4–6% of monthly income becomes a tangible hardship. Households in this bracket are more likely to adopt slower, less reliable plans—or disconnect entirely. The National Digital Inclusion Alliance (NDIA) reported that in 2025 , nearly 41% of low-income users downgraded or paused their service due to financial strain.

Beyond monthly subscription fees, up-front installation costs and equipment rentals can escalate the total expense quickly, pushing connection out of reach for first-time users or displaced populations. The result: digital participation becomes contingent not just on infrastructure, but on disposable income.

Programs Aiming to Bridge the Affordability Gap

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), administered by the Federal Communications Commission, continued to play a leading role in 2025 . Providing up to $30 per month toward broadband service for qualifying households, and up to $75 for Tribal lands, the ACP supported more than 19 million households as of Q2 2025 .

Despite these efforts, funding constraints and program awareness limit participation. According to a survey by Pew Research Center in mid-2025 , over 27% of eligible low-income Americans remained unaware of available broadband discounts.

Impact on Students and Remote Workers

Connectivity gaps generated ripple effects in both education and employment. In households without consistent high-speed internet, students lost real-time access to assignments, virtual labs, and tutoring—especially in K-12 districts adopting hybrid learning formats. The National Center for Education Statistics found that 17% of students in low-income zip codes missed more than five days of digital instruction per quarter due to connectivity issues.

In the labor market, remote workers from underserved areas lagged in performance scores due to latency, instability, and limited bandwidth for video conferencing or large file sharing. Small business owners in rural towns reported difficulty accessing cloud-based management tools, placing them at a disadvantage compared to suburban counterparts.

In 2025 , affordability determined how many Americans fully participated in educational and economic opportunities enabled by broadband. Access alone didn’t close the divide—affordable, sustainable access made the difference.

Broadband Speeds & Performance: Unequal Growth

Disparities in Speed: A State-by-State Breakdown

In 2025 , Ookla’s data revealed sharp contrasts in broadband performance across the United States. While states like New Jersey and Maryland reported average download speeds exceeding 250 Mbps, over 30 states lagged far behind. Mississippi, West Virginia, and Alaska showed averages under 100 Mbps, highlighting a stark imbalance in network quality. Some states, like Texas and Florida, posted mixed results—urban areas excelled while rural counties stagnated or even declined in performance.

Fiber Optic Dominates, But Not Everywhere

Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connections consistently delivered superior speeds, with latency dropping below 10 ms and upload/download rates far outpacing both cable and DSL. However, only 43% of U.S. households had access to fiber as of Q1 2025 . DSL, still prevalent in parts of the Midwest and Appalachia, averaged below 25 Mbps, falling short of the FCC’s current broadband threshold. Cable internet, while more widespread, struggled under congestion pressures, particularly in multi-dwelling urban zones during peak usage hours.

Underserved Regions See Little to No Progress

Ookla reported that in 2025 , speed increases were concentrated in regions already benefitting from prior infrastructure investments. In contrast, counties in eastern Kentucky, southern Georgia, and the Navajo Nation saw monthly speed tests hover at 2019 levels. In more than 120 counties, download speeds improved by less than 5% year-over-year, significantly underperforming the national average growth rate of 18.6%.

When More Demand Yields Less Speed

Paradoxically, some high-demand locales saw average broadband speeds decline in 2025 . For instance, suburban Phoenix and outlying areas of Denver experienced download speed drops of 8% and 5%, respectively. Inadequate backhaul capacity and aging last-mile infrastructure were cited as contributing factors. Even in tech-heavy cities like Seattle, increased multi-user households and expanding streaming habits strained networks not scaled for pandemic-era digital behavior that never receded.

Fiber and 5G Deployment: Are We Closing the Gap?

Urban Fiber Grows, But Rural Gaps Widen

Major metropolitan areas saw a notable rise in fiber optic infrastructure throughout 2025 . According to Ookla’s market intelligence, cities such as Atlanta, Denver, and Seattle posted year-over-year fiber coverage growth rates above 12%, driven by aggressive investments from national ISPs like AT&T and Google Fiber. This expansion translated into measurable speed increases — in some zip codes, median download rates now exceed 950 Mbps.

However, those gains remain geographically lopsided. In states like Arkansas, Mississippi, and West Virginia, rural counties gained minimal new fiber coverage. The ratio of households served by fiber versus DSL in these areas remains below 1:10, exposing large swaths of the population to legacy copper networks. Fiber ISPs continue to cite logistical and economic challenges — long trenching distances, sparse populations, and limited ROI — as reasons for slower buildouts in these regions.

5G Rollout: Faster in Theory Than in Practice

National 5G coverage expanded significantly in terms of square mileage. Verizon and T-Mobile each reported covering over 90% of the U.S. population with some form of 5G. Yet, for millions of users, performance failed to keep pace with expectations. Median 5G download speeds in 2025 actually declined year-over-year in 11 states, according to Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence data. Alabama, Kentucky, and Montana all reported lower 5G speeds compared to their 2023 figures. The suggested causes vary — from disappointing mmWave availability to congestion on mid-band C-band spectrum.

In urban cities with dense infrastructure and more mmWave cell sites, users often see ultra-fast speeds above 1 Gbps. Compare that to exurban or semi-rural fringes, where users frequently report 5G download rates below 100 Mbps — performance roughly equivalent to LTE.

States That Lead and States That Linger

Case data confirms the disparity. In Utah, for example, 89% of households had access to gigabit-level fiber or 5G coverage by Q2 2025 , making it one of the top-performing states on Ookla’s Accessibility Index. Extensive fiber co-deployment alongside highway corridors and statewide franchise agreements helped accelerate rollout.

Contrast that with Kentucky, where fewer than 36% of households had access to either fiber or mid-band 5G. A combination of Appalachian terrain and fragmented infrastructure partnerships hindered statewide progress. While federal grants were awarded in mid-2023, actual buildouts didn’t commence until the last quarter of 2025 — leaving much of the state in a persistent last-mile bottleneck.

Fiber and 5G expansion isn’t failing — but it isn't closing the divide either. For each urban corridor that gets faster, another rural area falls further behind. The pace and direction of infrastructure deployment in 2025 will determine if the lines on this map finally begin to blur, or sharpen even more.

Cracking Under Pressure: Internet Infrastructure Limitations in 2026

Aging Infrastructure Remains a Stubborn Roadblock in Rural Areas

Across rural states, outdated copper and coaxial lines still form the backbone of broadband delivery. This hardware, originally built for voice and analog TV services, can't accommodate modern bandwidth demands. According to the Federal Communications Commission’s 2023 infrastructure data, more than 30% of rural counties still rely on DSL as the primary fixed-line service. These older systems suffer from signal degradation over distance, limited throughput, and are cost-inefficient to maintain.

Montana, Mississippi, and West Virginia exhibit some of the most severe connectivity shortcomings linked directly to infrastructure age. In these areas, average fixed broadband speeds remain significantly below the national median, as newer fiber deployments struggle to reach low-density communities.

Backbone Bottlenecks: Deferred Upgrades Choke Shared Bandwidth

Fiber backbones form the highways of the internet—but many of these routes haven’t been widened in over a decade. A 2025 analysis by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) found that over 45% of tier-2 internet hubs outside of major metros operate on decade-old hardware with throughput caps that lag behind global standards.

Without sufficient backbone capacity, even areas with high-speed last-mile coverage experience congestion during peak usage hours. Data-intensive services like video conferencing and streaming platforms consume increasing portions of available bandwidth, leaving rural nodes underpowered and overburdened.

Legacy Networks: Telecoms Stick With the Familiar

Many legacy internet service providers continue to favor incremental upgrades over full-scale replacements. Instead of deploying fiber to the premises (FTTP), some carriers in the Midwest and South have opted for hybrid fiber-coaxial systems or simply increased DSL speeds through digital signal improvements.

This conservative strategy stems from cost analysis models that weigh capital expenditure against projected subscriber revenue. In low-income or low-density regions, full fiber deployments often don’t pass the profitability threshold, resulting in broadband deserts persisting even after years of federal funding initiatives.

Scaling Advanced Technologies: A Rollout Still in Progress

While millimeter wave 5G and advanced fixed wireless access (FWA) promise high-capacity alternatives, their reach remains limited. The 2025 Ookla report shows these technologies represent less than 8% of the primary broadband connections in underserved states. Adopting them often requires site upgrades, tighter network densification, and costly spectrum licenses—investments that smaller regional ISPs struggle to justify without federal co-funding.

High-potential technologies exist, but without synchronized investments across infrastructure, labor, and policy support, their scaling remains sluggish. The result: a digital landscape fragmented not by lack of innovation, but by geographic and economic disparities in connectivity rollout.

Decoding 2026 Broadband Policies: Federal and State Initiatives in Motion

Federal Strategy under Scrutiny: Legacies of Biden and Trump

The Biden administration extended and expanded several broadband initiatives launched under the Trump-era Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF). While RDOF committed $20.4 billion over ten years to reach unserved areas, its execution faced criticism due to mapping inaccuracies and questionable award recipients. By contrast, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), passed in 2021, fueled a new wave of support via the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. The BEAD program alone allocated $42.45 billion to states by mid-2023, with operational deployments accelerating in 2025 .

What did this shift mean in practical terms? For one, it allowed states more autonomy in tailoring grant strategies. Moreover, the Biden-era focus on affordability paired infrastructure upgrades with digital equity planning, marking a notable policy evolution.

Election-Year Impact: Policy Uncertainty and Strategic Delays

The 2025 election cycle reshaped broadband agendas in multiple states. In swing states like Pennsylvania and Georgia, gubernatorial and federal races influenced application timelines and resource distribution. Political turnover directly delayed Broadband Equity plans in at least 11 states, particularly where new administrations launched audits or revised scoring systems for grant applicants.

In contrast, states with political continuity—such as California and Illinois—fast-tracked their BEAD pre-application phases. This divergence reflects inconsistent policy execution even with federal funding in place. States waiting on final Missouri and Alaska allocations, for example, reported paused community consultation efforts through Q2 2025 .

Federal Tools in Action: BEAD and USDA Broadband Programs

Two primary federal mechanisms dominated broadband investments in 2025 : the BEAD program and USDA's ReConnect initiative. BEAD grants, managed by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), required states to submit five-year action plans defining unserved and underserved locations. NTIA approved all state proposals by February 2025 . Deployment, however, remains uneven—Texas, Florida, and Ohio advanced to grant implementation, while others stalled at subcontractor procurement.

USDA's ReConnect program, now in its fourth funding round, continued rural deployments with $1.3 billion committed this year. ReConnect grants placed emphasis on tribal lands and agricultural regions, targeting broadband speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload. As of May 2025 , awarded projects spanned 33 states, with North Dakota and Idaho leading in network completion rates.

States Step Up: Expansion Offices and Localized Agendas

State broadband offices emerged as critical implementation hubs, building regional strategies around federal block grants. Over 45 states now operate broadband-focused offices or task forces, many of which coordinate directly with county-level planning commissions.

State management of BEAD funds also brought variation in matching fund requirements. For instance, Mississippi mandated 25% private match contributions, while Oregon reduced thresholds for nonprofit applicants. This patchwork has accelerated execution in some regions while slowing others—that disparity, Ookla’s 2025 metrics reveal, contributed to the broadband divide worsening in 32 states.

Scaling Broadband Access Through Partnerships and Targeted Funding

Recent Public-Private Partnerships Deliver Tangible Results

In regions where broadband penetration has historically lagged, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have led to measurable improvements. North Carolina’s Growing Rural Economies with Access to Technology (GREAT) Grant program attracted providers like Charter and Brightspeed, which expanded high-speed connections to more than 30,000 underserved households in 2025 . Similarly, Colorado's Broadband Fund, working with private ISPs, supported last-mile fiber installations across San Miguel, Montrose, and Delta counties, boosting symmetrical gigabit speeds in formerly low-speed areas.

Local utilities have also partnered with technology firms to leverage existing infrastructure. In Indiana, Jackson County REMC's partnership with Conexon enabled deployment of a high-speed fiber network that covered over 1,000 miles, benefiting over 10,000 rural residents. These collaborations, when executed efficiently, shorten deployment timelines and align with community development goals.

Corporate-Public Alignment: A Persistent Hurdle

Despite these gains, aligning corporate incentives with public interest carries complications. Private ISPs operate on ROI-driven models, while governments prioritize equitable access and long-term resilience. This clash often delays consensus on target areas and technology choices. In South Dakota, for example, disputes between policymakers and providers over prioritizing fiber versus fixed wireless led to a year-long delay in implementation of a rural connectivity project funded through ARPA dollars.

Executional friction further emerges when private actors hesitate to invest in low-density zones due to slow user uptake, even when subsidies are available. This tension underscores the need for performance-based funding models and enforceable rollout commitments from corporate partners.

Funding Bottlenecks Impeding Rollout

These constraints not only stall current buildouts but discourage bidders in future grant rounds, reducing competitive pressure and innovation.

Where Can Funding and Partnerships Go Next?

Imagine a framework that rewards ISPs for connecting communities within specific timeframes while mandating transparent reporting on performance metrics. How could that reshape deployment speed? What if infrastructure-sharing mandates were standardized across states—how would that lower costs and duplication?

States and agencies capable of designing PPPs that balance risk, enforce obligations, and streamline regulatory pathways will lead in overcoming the broadband divide mapped out in Ookla’s 2025 findings.

Shifting Ground: Telecom Industry Trends Redefining Broadband Access

Consolidation Redrawing the Coverage Map

A wave of high-profile mergers and acquisitions reshaped the telecommunications landscape in 2025 . Companies like Lumen Technologies and Frontier Communications offloaded rural assets, while giants such as Charter and Altice USA expanded regional footholds through targeted acquisitions. These moves affected network investments, with merged entities reallocating capital toward denser, more profitable areas.

As a result, coverage in some rural zones stalled or even regressed. In states like Mississippi and West Virginia—both listed in Ookla’s worst-performing cohort—post-acquisition alignment delayed already underfunded infrastructure upgrades. Market concentration reduced competition, and in turn, incentive to improve service in sparsely populated counties declined.

Urban Bias: The Persistent Skew in Buildouts

Investment by major internet service providers (ISPs) again centered on urban markets in 2025 , driven by lower per-mile deployment costs and higher average revenue per user (ARPU). Among the top 15 ISPs, fewer than four reported any meaningful extension of network reach into Tier 4 and Tier 5 counties—regions classified by the FCC as predominantly rural.

Companies like AT&T and Comcast continued to intensify service in metro areas, launching multi-gigabit plans and promoting smart city initiatives. Meanwhile, in states such as Arkansas and Alabama—where median download speeds lagged behind national averages by more than 20 Mbps—the lack of urban density kept them off rollout maps entirely.

Competitive Pressure and Pricing Tiers

Increased competition within metropolitan zones triggered a reconfiguration of pricing tiers. ISPs responded by bundling higher speeds at lower monthly costs, particularly where two or more fiber providers operated. For example, Phoenix and Minneapolis saw median broadband prices drop below $65/month for plans over 500 Mbps as companies fought for market share.

However, in markets with only one primary provider—still a reality for over 30% of U.S. counties—that same plan could cost up to 40% more. Data from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance shows that monopolized markets often featured fewer speed options, minimal promotional pricing, and higher hardware rental fees.

Fiber Rollouts Driven by Return on Investment, Not Equity

Although fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) deployment accelerated in 2025 , rollouts prioritized areas promising the highest return on investment. According to data from the Fiber Broadband Association, over 75% of new fiber miles installed this year served suburban and exurban zip codes with median household incomes above the national average.

States like New Jersey, Illinois, and Georgia experienced more than a 12% increase in household fiber coverage. In contrast, low-density states such as Montana and Wyoming saw expansion rates under 2%. This selective deployment aligned with investor expectations, but reinforced regional disparities—particularly in Native American lands and remote farming communities.

Bridging the Broadband Divide: A National Imperative

The Ookla report for 2025 confirms what millions in underserved regions already experience daily: the broadband divide isn’t closing—it’s getting worse. In 32 states, digital inequality has deepened, backed by speed test data, deployment gaps, and unaffordable service tiers. These findings don’t merely signal trends; they signal consequences. Remote work potential shrinks, education grows less accessible, and regional economies suffer when connections fall short.

Without a unified national broadband strategy, the United States will continue to see tech opportunity—and even civic participation—stratified by ZIP code. What does that strategy need to look like? It must deliver more than infrastructure. It must ensure service that is affordable, fast, and fair. That means prioritizing competitive pricing, scaling 5G and fiber with urgency, and using consistent speed test data to benchmark progress across federal and state programs.

Americans in rural Arizona and downtown Philadelphia alike should expect reliability, not dead zones and bandwidth throttles. So what’s next?

No single agency or telecom carrier can close this gap alone. Success demands cooperation between state policymakers, federal regulators, internet providers, and local stakeholders. With data from the 2025 Ookla report in hand, the next move isn’t speculation—it’s legislation, investment, and accountability. The digital divide won't self-correct. It needs deliberate, measurable, and aggressive remediation starting now.