Broadband for Under $50? In Mississippi and Arkansas, You're Out of Luck

Every few years, BroadbandNow dives into the cost of internet plans across 2,000 US-based internet service providers (ISP) and how they compare to the median incomes of households across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia. BroadbandNow is again checking who in America has broadband—defined as a connection with a minimum of 25Mbps for downloads and 3Mbps for uploads—and how many can get it for less than $50 per month. The answer is still: not everyone. And the data clearly show that prices are down for higher-income areas (probably because of increased competition in densely populated regions). In 10 states, less than half the population can get service costing lower than $50 a month: Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, Montana, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, and Wyoming. Only four areas—Delaware, Hawaii, Connecticut, and Washington DC—have hit 100% availability.