Rural Internet

Rural internet in Maine

4.0% of locations in Maine have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 4.5% unserved and 64.3% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

11 of Maine's 16 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 25,848 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 639,618.

Maine at a glance

Androscoggin: not publishedAroostook County, ME: 12%, 4,390 of 36,330 locationsCumberland: not publishedFranklin County, ME: 13%, 2,336 of 18,011 locationsHancock County, ME: 3.9%, 1,301 of 33,090 locationsKennebec County, ME: 2.0%, 1,124 of 56,580 locationsKnox County, ME: 3.1%, 676 of 21,713 locationsLincoln County, ME: 3.5%, 810 of 23,184 locationsOxford County, ME: 8.9%, 2,782 of 31,337 locationsPenobscot: not publishedPiscataquis County, ME: 17%, 2,131 of 12,667 locationsSagadahoc: not publishedSomerset County, ME: 5.8%, 1,659 of 28,779 locationsWaldo County, ME: 10%, 2,040 of 20,235 locationsWashington County, ME: 7.1%, 1,289 of 18,187 locationsYork: not published

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

  • 0.0% to 3.1%
  • 3.1% to 3.9%
  • 3.9% to 5.8%
  • 5.8% to 8.9%
  • 8.9% to 10%
  • 10% to 13%
  • 13% 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 Maine

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/maine/piscataquis-county-internet/">Piscataquis County</a>12,6672,13116.8%70.5%
<a href="/maine/franklin-county-internet/">Franklin County</a>18,0112,33613.0%72.8%
<a href="/maine/aroostook-county-internet/">Aroostook County</a>36,3304,39012.1%47.3%
<a href="/maine/waldo-county-internet/">Waldo County</a>20,2352,04010.1%64.0%
<a href="/maine/oxford-county-internet/">Oxford County</a>31,3372,7828.9%38.6%
<a href="/maine/washington-county-internet/">Washington County</a>18,1871,2897.1%41.2%
<a href="/maine/somerset-county-internet/">Somerset County</a>28,7791,6595.8%86.7%
<a href="/maine/hancock-county-internet/">Hancock County</a>33,0901,3013.9%61.8%
<a href="/maine/lincoln-county-internet/">Lincoln County</a>23,1848103.5%74.1%
<a href="/maine/knox-county-internet/">Knox County</a>21,7136763.1%60.1%

Every rural county in Maine

What people actually measure in Maine

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
Charter Communications126 Mbps48.8 Mbps to 269 Mbps10.9 Mbps39 ms53,143
Fidium76.4 Mbps17.7 Mbps to 308 Mbps73.9 Mbps20 ms12,164
Comcast Cable Communications125 Mbps48.9 Mbps to 254 Mbps15.6 Mbps23 ms5,123
GoNetSpeed138 Mbps64.1 Mbps to 303 Mbps148 Mbps27 ms2,985
TDS TELECOM69.8 Mbps12.4 Mbps to 165 Mbps50.1 Mbps32 ms1,536
FirstLight Fiber24.2 Mbps10.6 Mbps to 87.5 Mbps19.7 Mbps24 ms1,476
Breezeline96.7 Mbps36.6 Mbps to 189 Mbps15.3 Mbps18 ms1,188
Biddeford Internet50.4 Mbps18.9 Mbps to 94.4 Mbps44.9 Mbps20 ms1,050
Bee Line Cable86.8 Mbps41.2 Mbps to 225 Mbps17.6 Mbps28 ms1,010
COASTAL TELCO SERVICES49.8 Mbps22.1 Mbps to 87.1 Mbps12.4 Mbps22 ms923
Pioneer Broadband92.0 Mbps14.4 Mbps to 294 Mbps77.7 Mbps12 ms702
Cornerstone Communications39.8 Mbps12.4 Mbps to 54.1 Mbps29.6 Mbps28 ms483
RedZone Wireless10.2 Mbps3.0 Mbps to 27.0 Mbps2.4 Mbps50 ms470
Premium Choice Broadband70.2 Mbps44.4 Mbps to 108 Mbps48.1 Mbps20 ms243

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.