Rural Internet

Rural internet in Alabama

5.6% of locations in Alabama have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 4.6% unserved and 57.1% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

36 of Alabama's 67 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 124,076 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 2,197,623.

Alabama at a glance

Autauga: not publishedBaldwin: not publishedBarbour County, AL: 4.6%, 579 of 12,454 locationsBibb: not publishedBlount: not publishedBullock County, AL: 0.9%, 42 of 4,838 locationsButler County, AL: 25%, 2,540 of 10,217 locationsCalhoun: not publishedChambers County, AL: 4.1%, 683 of 16,485 locationsCherokee County, AL: 27%, 4,411 of 16,450 locationsChilton: not publishedChoctaw County, AL: 26%, 1,982 of 7,740 locationsClarke County, AL: 38%, 4,953 of 13,016 locationsClay County, AL: 28%, 1,979 of 6,984 locationsCleburne County, AL: 48%, 3,389 of 7,069 locationsCoffee County, AL: 0.9%, 240 of 25,433 locationsColbert: not publishedConecuh County, AL: 43%, 3,130 of 7,269 locationsCoosa County, AL: 12%, 827 of 6,794 locationsCovington County, AL: 2.2%, 462 of 21,099 locationsCrenshaw County, AL: 7.5%, 590 of 7,904 locationsCullman County, AL: 1.1%, 481 of 44,195 locationsDale County, AL: 0.8%, 181 of 21,552 locationsDallas County, AL: 16%, 3,047 of 18,536 locationsDeKalb County, AL: 2.9%, 956 of 32,715 locationsElmore: not publishedEscambia County, AL: 16%, 2,939 of 18,190 locationsEtowah: not publishedFayette County, AL: 3.3%, 297 of 8,947 locationsFranklin County, AL: 0.6%, 89 of 14,828 locationsGeneva: not publishedGreene: not publishedHale: not publishedHenry: not publishedHouston: not publishedJackson County, AL: 0.2%, 54 of 25,480 locationsJefferson: not publishedLamar County, AL: 0.0%, 3 of 7,595 locationsLauderdale: not publishedLawrence: not publishedLee: not publishedLimestone: not publishedLowndes: not publishedMacon: not publishedMadison: not publishedMarengo County, AL: 14%, 1,376 of 9,792 locationsMarion County, AL: 0.0%, 0 of 14,767 locationsMarshall County, AL: 3.3%, 1,402 of 42,554 locationsMobile: not publishedMonroe County, AL: 27%, 3,099 of 11,543 locationsMontgomery: not publishedMorgan: not publishedPerry County, AL: 68%, 3,394 of 5,000 locationsPickens: not publishedPike County, AL: 3.7%, 554 of 15,017 locationsRandolph County, AL: 46%, 6,455 of 14,034 locationsRussell: not publishedSt. Clair: not publishedShelby: not publishedSumter County, AL: 50%, 3,452 of 6,907 locationsTalladega County, AL: 6.2%, 2,363 of 38,148 locationsTallapoosa County, AL: 4.9%, 1,135 of 23,378 locationsTuscaloosa: not publishedWalker: not publishedWashington County, AL: 37%, 3,611 of 9,686 locationsWilcox County, AL: 51%, 2,793 of 5,477 locationsWinston County, AL: 5.6%, 839 of 14,856 locations

Share of addresses with no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps

  • 0.0% to 0.9%
  • 0.9% to 3.3%
  • 3.3% to 4.9%
  • 4.9% to 14%
  • 14% to 27%
  • 27% to 43%
  • 43% and above
  • not published

Darker means a larger share of addresses with no fixed broadband. Select any county to open it.

The ten hardest-served rural counties in Alabama

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/alabama/perry-county-internet/">Perry County</a>5,0003,39467.9%27.5%
<a href="/alabama/wilcox-county-internet/">Wilcox County</a>5,4772,79351.0%13.3%
<a href="/alabama/sumter-county-internet/">Sumter County</a>6,9073,45250.0%5.5%
<a href="/alabama/cleburne-county-internet/">Cleburne County</a>7,0693,38947.9%17.5%
<a href="/alabama/randolph-county-internet/">Randolph County</a>14,0346,45546.0%23.3%
<a href="/alabama/conecuh-county-internet/">Conecuh County</a>7,2693,13043.1%1.7%
<a href="/alabama/clarke-county-internet/">Clarke County</a>13,0164,95338.1%8.2%
<a href="/alabama/washington-county-internet/">Washington County</a>9,6863,61137.3%45.6%
<a href="/alabama/clay-county-internet/">Clay County</a>6,9841,97928.3%43.8%
<a href="/alabama/monroe-county-internet/">Monroe County</a>11,5433,09926.8%5.2%

Every rural county in Alabama

What people actually measure in Alabama

Median of real speed tests run on each network during 2024, from M-Lab. This is measured performance, not an advertised plan speed, and not a customer review. The middle-half column shows how consistent a network is: a wide spread means your experience depends heavily on where and when.
NetworkMedian downloadMiddle half of testsMedian uploadLatencyTests
AT&T Enterprises90.6 Mbps25.4 Mbps to 301 Mbps46.8 Mbps28 ms57,284
Charter Communications141 Mbps57.5 Mbps to 286 Mbps10.9 Mbps34 ms51,106
Verizon Business22.5 Mbps5.4 Mbps to 57.0 Mbps3.4 Mbps45 ms35,980
Comcast Cable Communications113 Mbps46.5 Mbps to 254 Mbps14.8 Mbps34 ms21,565
WideOpenWest Finance118 Mbps46.8 Mbps to 269 Mbps21.4 Mbps32 ms13,258
Mediacom Communications111 Mbps53.0 Mbps to 272 Mbps21.9 Mbps29 ms10,095
Brightspeed9.6 Mbps3.9 Mbps to 39.1 Mbps0.8 Mbps57 ms6,462
Troy Cablevision90.5 Mbps37.1 Mbps to 212 Mbps47.9 Mbps26 ms3,820
Uniti Fiber Holdings58.0 Mbps19.1 Mbps to 93.5 Mbps32.8 Mbps31 ms3,811
Windstream Communications27.2 Mbps9.5 Mbps to 78.2 Mbps8.5 Mbps39 ms2,499
CABLE ONE106 Mbps51.3 Mbps to 212 Mbps20.4 Mbps57 ms2,312
Tombigbee Communications106 Mbps60.8 Mbps to 244 Mbps93.3 Mbps35 ms2,281
C Spire Fiber147 Mbps76.6 Mbps to 266 Mbps95.1 Mbps41 ms2,224
Phenix Cable113 Mbps53.5 Mbps to 272 Mbps22.3 Mbps26 ms2,194

Cellular networks, measured

The same measurement for the mobile networks behind 5G home internet. These tests come from phones as well as home gateways, so treat them as an indication of network health in the state rather than a home-internet plan speed.
NetworkMedian downloadMiddle half of testsMedian uploadLatencyTests
T-Mobile USA50.1 Mbps12.4 Mbps to 115 Mbps5.2 Mbps51 ms22,293

Latency is the number that decides whether video calls and gaming feel right, and it is where satellite differs most from everything else. Measured data is statewide: below county level there are usually too few tests to report an honest number.

Disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you sign up for a service or buy equipment through one, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes which options we list or the order we rank them in, and we do not accept payment for a better placement.

Options that work statewide

Satellite

Starlink

Low-earth-orbit satellite. Latency is low enough for video calls and most gaming, unlike older satellite services.

Best for
Anywhere with a clear view of the sky and no wired option
Watch out
Hardware costs money up front, and heavy tree cover or a north-facing obstruction will cost you throughput

See Starlink

5G home internet

T-Mobile Home Internet

Home internet over T-Mobile’s cellular network. A gateway box you plug in yourself; no truck roll, no dish.

Best for
Rural addresses that still get a usable T-Mobile signal, often near a highway or a town
Watch out
Availability is decided address by address, not by town. Speed varies with how busy the local tower is.

See T-Mobile Home Internet

5G home internet

Verizon Home Internet

The same idea on Verizon’s network, offered as 5G Home or LTE Home depending on what reaches your address.

Best for
Addresses with Verizon coverage where T-Mobile is weak
Watch out
LTE Home and 5G Home behave very differently. Confirm which one your address actually qualifies for.

See Verizon Home Internet

Fixed wireless

A local fixed-wireless provider

A regional operator beaming service from a tower or ridge to an antenna on your roof. In much of rural America this is the fastest thing available.

Best for
Counties where the FCC data shows large licensed fixed-wireless coverage, which this page tells you
Watch out
Needs line of sight. Quality varies enormously between operators; ask neighbours, not the sales page.

Sources

Page last updated 2026-09-01. The date moves when the underlying data moves, not when the site is rebuilt.