For the Tech-Savvy With a Need for Speed, a Limited Choice of Towns With Fiber

In the United States only 7.7 percent of broadband subscribers have optical fiber connections, the fastest and highest quality available.

While there are few “fiber to the home” locations, and they are not exactly metropolitan, tech-savvy entrepreneurs and individuals are flocking to them. They are pulling up stakes and moving to places like Lafayette (LA); Chattanooga (TN); Wilson (NC); and Mount Vernon (WA). These digital carpetbaggers aren’t just leaving behind jittery Netflix streams and aggravating waits for Twitter feeds to refresh. They are positioning themselves to be more globally competitive and connected.

The United States ranks in 14th place behind countries like Sweden, Japan, South Korea, Romania and Macau in fiber connectivity. For a comparison, Ookla’s NetIndex shows Internet speeds by city worldwide. The fastest are in countries where the government has paid for fiber upgrades. But in the United States it has been left to cable and telecom companies, which have been slow to make the investment.