July 2024 Group Watch: AL High-Speed Internet Access Growing Fast
In 2019, Alabama was ranked 47th in the U.S. for broadband connectivity on BroadbandNow’s list. Fast forward to 2024, and the state ranks 24th on that same list. The index of internet availability takes into account internet coverage, speed and availability in each individual state. While its an impressive improvement, the data accompanying the rankings showed that still, roughly 1 in 10 Alabamians are not able to purchase an internet plan of at least 25Mbps download and 3Mbps upload speeds. Additionally, almost 6 in 10 residents are not able to purchase broadband at a price of $60 a month or less. In Alabama, 85.4 percent of people have access to 100Mbps broadband, ranking 41st among all states. The five counties with the highest rates of residents with access to broadband speeds of at least 100Mbps are in metropolitan areas, including Jefferson, Shelby, Madison, Montgomery and Lee. Perry County, the state’s least populous, has the lowest rate of access to high-speed broadband.