People in America are used to broadband internet. However, only three decades ago, the fastest internet was 56k, also called dial up. It was offered to tens of millions of Americans from companies led by AOL. By today’s standards, it was remarkably slow. Today, many internet companies offer ranges from 200 Mbps to 1 Gbps. This is enough for several people in one household to steam movies from providers like Netflix, or to download huge files.
While some rural areas and poor sections of inner cities do not offer high speed internet, in large cities usually fast internet is available. To identify the American city with the best and most reliable internet access, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the broadband access ranking of metro areas with populations over 60,000 from the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities 2021. Total population figures are one-year estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.
The Milken Institute based its internet ranking on the share of households with any form of broadband access. In these cities, the percentage of households with broadband access is at least 91%.
Americans generally pay higher prices for internet access compared to other countries. According to data research firm BroadbandSearch, Americans pay an average of $61.07 a month for internet, which ranks us 28th among 117 countries reviewed.
For businesses and families, that’s a price worth paying if the internet connection is speedy, does not break down, and if the provider has a backup server when there’s an interruption in service. With so many businesses operating in different locations and employees working from home, staying connected to the internet is essential.
The city with the best and most reliable internet is Bremerton, WA which has a population of 271,473.
Click here to read These Are The Cities With The Best and Most Reliable Internet
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