Rural Internet

Internet in Dukes County, MA

Cable is the backbone here. It reaches 94.6% of Dukes County, concentrated in the towns. Outside the cable footprint the picture changes sharply, which is why the address matters more than the county.

Everything below comes from the FCC's Broadband Data Collection, the filings providers are legally required to make about where they offer service. It describes the county; your own address can differ, and that is exactly why the technology mix matters.

Where Dukes County sits in Massachusetts

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

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

What reaches homes in Dukes County

Locations covered by each technology, out of 16,105 broadband serviceable locations. An address can be reached by more than one technology, so these add up to more than 100%.

Fiber 541 · 3.4%
Cable 15,239 · 95%
Licensed fixed wireless 3,495 · 22%
Unlicensed fixed wireless 0 · 0.0%
DSL over copper 1 · 0.0%

Served, underserved, unserved

The FCC's three categories. "Served" means at least 100/20 Mbps is available; "underserved" means at least 25/3 but below 100/20; "unserved" means below 25/3 or nothing at all.
CategoryLocationsShare of county
Served15,75897.8%
Underserved460.3%
Unserved3011.9%

What that means if you live here

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

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.

Your realistic options in Dukes County

Fiber

Fiber, if it has reached you

The best outcome by a distance: symmetric speed, low latency, no weather sensitivity, no data ceiling in practice.

Best for
Anyone whose address is inside a fiber build. Always check this first.
Watch out
Coverage stops abruptly at the edge of a build. Being a mile from fiber is the same as being fifty.
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.
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

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

Equipment

A better router

Rural connections are usually limited by the link, not the router, but a poor router wastes a good link and provider-supplied units are often poor.

Best for
Large or awkwardly shaped houses, metal roofs, outbuildings
Watch out
A new router will not add bandwidth you never had. Fix the link first, then the wifi.

See A better router

What changed in the last year

Comparing the current filing against the same county twelve months earlier.
MeasureTwelve months agoNow
Locations with fiber542541
Change in served locations,+0.33%

Nearby and related

Sources

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