Broadband Data: Connecting Every American

An internet connection can make a huge difference in a person's life. But long before the pandemic accelerated the rate at which our lives moved online, America's internet service providers offered special, low-cost broadband adoption plans like Connect2Compete and Internet Essentials so that everyone could participate. In fact, more than 14 million customers connected to the internet via these discounted offerings in the last decade. In 2020 alone, over 5 million new households connected to the internet. And while too many Americans have access to the internet but choose not to connect, there are still pockets of our country (largely rural and remote regions) that are miles away from the closest network. To tackle the need to wire these unconnected regions, 1.3 million new homes have been added to broadband service since 2019, including 340,000 in rural areas. The pandemic has highlighted where digital gaps exist, but America's broadband leaders have risen to the occasion and continued their commitment to getting every American connected.