Ookla Reports: The Broadband Divide has widened in 32 States by 2024
Ookla is one of the most popular internet speed testing sites. It recently released its semiannual report about the state of Internet connectivity in the US. The report, which covers the second half 2024, shows a growing divide in broadband across 32 states. Ookla, owned by Ziff-Davis, which also owns CNET. Ookla uses Speedtest Intelligence, a crowdsourced data set gathered from Speedtest users in all 50 states, to measure the digital gap. Ookla averages out the number of users who receive the Federal Communications Commission’s minimum standard for internet connections, defined as 100Mbps downstream and 20Mbps upstream.
This story is a part of CNET’s coverage on how the United States is working to make broadband access universal.
Ookla’s data reveals a particular struggle to connect
rural households
. The states with the largest digital divide were rural communities in Washington, Oregon, Illinois Missouri and New Mexico. Ookla data shows a struggle to connect rural households as the states that had the greatest digital divide were Washington, Oregon Illinois Missouri and New Mexico. Sue Marek is the editorial director of Ookla, and the author of the report. She told CNET that she suspects some of the
can be attributed to ACP’s ending. We might see more of this by the end 2025. The Affordable Connectivity Program was cancelled in May 2024 because Congressional funds expired. It affected 23 million households who received financial assistance with monthly internet bills. Marek said that Marek believes a large part of the growth was due to private equity or CapEx spending by big telcos. “But does this really help the digital gap?” Marek points out that these programs have distributed over $11 billion of government funding since 2020. The National Telecommunications and Information Association (NTIA), the organization in charge of administering Digital Equity Act funds, has removed all webpages related to this program. The effects of the decision not to fund the Digital Equity Act are unlikely to be visible in Ookla’s reporting until 2025. According to Marek, the BEAD program is undergoing a review. Industry experts worry that it will shift from a fiber-first approach to a program that will favor Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, which has raised the bar in rural areas for internet access, albeit at a high price. While disputes about funding and the fates of BEAD and the Digital Equity Act linger, the broadband gap continues to widen at the expense of America’s marginalized communities. Marek suggests contacting the broadband office in your state to find out how they are tackling the digital divide. Marek stated that “every state has one.”
Additionally, the NTIA hosts a BEAD progress dashboard, so you can stay informed on the progress of BEAD-funded projects in your state. You can also contact your local government officials and representatives to express your concerns.
