Ookla is one of the leading Internet speed testing sites, recently released a semi-annual report on the status of Internet connectivity in the United States. The report covers the second half of 2024 and reflects the growth of the broadband divide in 32 states. (Disclaimer: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, a company that owns CNET.)
To measure the digital divide, Ookla relies on Speedtest Intelligence data from speed test users in all 50 states. Ookla then receives an average of the number of users with the lowest standard for Internet connections, which the FCC defines as 100Mbps downstream and 20Mbps upstream.
This story is Crossing the broadband divideCNET’s coverage of how the country is committed to making broadband universal access.
While the number of Internet users in 22 states has improved by at least 100Mbps, most progress occurs in urban areas. Ookla’s data reflects special efforts to connect Rural familythe states with the largest digital divide are rural communities in Washington, Oregon, Illinois, Missouri and New Mexico.
“We suspect some of them [broadband divide] Sue Marek, editorial director of Ookla and author of the report, told CNET. “We may see more examples by the end of 2025.”
As Congressional funds expired, the cancellation of its affordable connectivity program ended in May 2024, affecting approximately 23 million households who received financial assistance on monthly internet bills.
Ookla data points out that the number of homes with fiber-optic connections has increased significantly, with a record 88.1 million homes and Marek attributes this growth to broadband deployment funding.
“But I think a lot [fiber deployment] “It’s driven by private equity funds or capital expenditures these big telecom companies spend. But does that really help the digital divide?” Marek said.
Since broadband, equity, access and deployment (BEAD) programs have not yet led to construction, Internet connectivity growth in the second half of 2024 can also be attributed to the Digital Equity Grant Program, Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, and the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund. Marek noted that since 2020, these plans have allocated more than $11 billion in government funds.
Ookla’s report follows the Digital Fair Act that canceled President Donald Trump because it was considered a “racist” and “unconstitutional” program. Since then, the National Telecommunications and Information Association, the organization responsible for managing the funding of the Digital Equity Act, has removed web pages related to the program.
“This administration’s obsession with forcing extremist right-wing cultural wars is not an acceptable or legal reason to deny states access to these funds,” said Patty Murray, a Democrat of Washington, who introduced the bill in 2019, in a press conference.
Marek said the impact of the decision to cut the Digital Fair Act may not appear in the Ookla report by the end of 2025.
Meanwhile, the bead program is under structural scrutiny, with industry experts worried that the program will move from the “fiber-first” approach to a process that favors Elon Musk’s Starlink, a satellite internet option that improves the bars that access the internet, which, despite its high price, is expensive.
Despite the controversy over allocation of funds and the fate of the Digital Fairness Act and Jewelry hanging in the air, the broadband divide continues to grow at the expense of the country’s most marginalized communities.
To get involved, Marek recommends contacting your state’s broadband office to see how it handles the digital divide. “Every state has one,” Marek said.
Additionally, NTIA has a bead progress dashboard so you can stay informed about the progress of bead funding projects in your state. To express your concerns directly, you can also call your local representative and government officials.
