Rural Internet

Rural internet in Massachusetts

0.3% of locations in Massachusetts have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 0.3% unserved and 37.2% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

3 of Massachusetts's 14 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 5,575 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 1,953,613.

Massachusetts at a glance

Barnstable: not publishedBerkshire: not publishedBristol: not publishedDukes County, MA: 1.9%, 301 of 16,105 locationsEssex: not publishedFranklin County, MA: 2.5%, 743 of 29,250 locationsHampden: not publishedHampshire: not publishedMiddlesex: not publishedNantucket County, MA: 1.1%, 110 of 10,311 locationsNorfolk: not publishedPlymouth: not publishedSuffolk: not publishedWorcester: not published

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

  • 0.0% to 1.1%
  • 1.1% to 1.9%
  • 1.9% to 2.5%
  • 2.5% and above
  • NaN% and above
  • NaN% and above
  • NaN% 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 Massachusetts

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/massachusetts/franklin-county-internet/">Franklin County</a>29,2507432.5%22.6%
<a href="/massachusetts/dukes-county-internet/">Dukes County</a>16,1053011.9%3.4%
<a href="/massachusetts/nantucket-county-internet/">Nantucket County</a>10,3111101.1%0.7%

Every rural county in Massachusetts

What people actually measure in Massachusetts

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
Comcast Cable Communications123 Mbps45.6 Mbps to 293 Mbps20.9 Mbps13 ms311,843
Verizon Business152 Mbps55.6 Mbps to 320 Mbps90.4 Mbps10 ms118,265
Charter Communications133 Mbps54.0 Mbps to 287 Mbps10.9 Mbps22 ms38,416
RCN135 Mbps38.8 Mbps to 305 Mbps23.1 Mbps13 ms18,816
ZSCALER79.6 Mbps31.8 Mbps to 146 Mbps22.3 Mbps6 ms16,620
AT&T Enterprises61.3 Mbps24.7 Mbps to 137 Mbps5.3 Mbps6 ms11,648
Shrewsbury Electric and Cable Operations93.1 Mbps39.9 Mbps to 155 Mbps8.0 Mbps12 ms3,268
Crown Castle Fiber101 Mbps39.5 Mbps to 224 Mbps92.8 Mbps8 ms3,108
Starry184 Mbps54.8 Mbps to 220 Mbps70.3 Mbps12 ms3,016
CDNEXT Datacamp68.8 Mbps24.9 Mbps to 142 Mbps11.0 Mbps7 ms1,719
Charles River Operation38.7 Mbps15.7 Mbps to 77.8 Mbps5.9 Mbps62 ms1,561
Holyoke Gas & Electric Department148 Mbps50.3 Mbps to 342 Mbps192 Mbps10 ms1,512
Proskauer Rose115 Mbps53.9 Mbps to 188 Mbps132 Mbps6 ms1,501
Mass General Brigham78.7 Mbps46.7 Mbps to 115 Mbps59.2 Mbps7 ms1,381

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 USA49.2 Mbps11.4 Mbps to 150 Mbps9.2 Mbps26 ms33,592

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.