Rural Internet

Rural internet in Vermont

4.3% of locations in Vermont have no fixed broadband at 25/3 Mbps. The state median rural county sits at 5.2% unserved and 65.3% fiber coverage. Pick your county below for the specific picture.

11 of Vermont's 14 counties are classed as rural by the USDA. Across the whole state the FCC records 12,235 locations with no fixed broadband, out of 282,377.

Vermont at a glance

Addison County, VT: 6.6%, 1,100 of 16,559 locationsBennington County, VT: 1.9%, 347 of 18,669 locationsCaledonia County, VT: 10%, 1,538 of 14,875 locationsChittenden: not publishedEssex County, VT: 14%, 664 of 4,676 locationsFranklin: not publishedGrand Isle: not publishedLamoille County, VT: 3.8%, 482 of 12,601 locationsOrange County, VT: 5.3%, 775 of 14,534 locationsOrleans County, VT: 15%, 2,353 of 15,412 locationsRutland County, VT: 1.0%, 292 of 29,257 locationsWashington County, VT: 5.6%, 1,414 of 25,141 locationsWindham County, VT: 5.0%, 1,224 of 24,617 locationsWindsor County, VT: 1.4%, 425 of 30,240 locations

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

  • 0.0% to 1.4%
  • 1.4% to 3.8%
  • 3.8% to 5.0%
  • 5.0% to 5.6%
  • 5.6% to 6.6%
  • 6.6% to 14%
  • 14% 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 Vermont

Ranked by the share of locations with no fixed service at 25/3 Mbps or better.
CountyLocationsUnservedShare unservedFiber share
<a href="/vermont/orleans-county-internet/">Orleans County</a>15,4122,35315.3%20.9%
<a href="/vermont/essex-county-internet/">Essex County</a>4,67666414.2%36.4%
<a href="/vermont/caledonia-county-internet/">Caledonia County</a>14,8751,53810.3%46.1%
<a href="/vermont/addison-county-internet/">Addison County</a>16,5591,1006.6%68.3%
<a href="/vermont/washington-county-internet/">Washington County</a>25,1411,4145.6%68.7%
<a href="/vermont/orange-county-internet/">Orange County</a>14,5347755.3%79.3%
<a href="/vermont/windham-county-internet/">Windham County</a>24,6171,2245.0%59.6%
<a href="/vermont/lamoille-county-internet/">Lamoille County</a>12,6014823.8%86.4%
<a href="/vermont/bennington-county-internet/">Bennington County</a>18,6693471.9%86.4%
<a href="/vermont/windsor-county-internet/">Windsor County</a>30,2404251.4%87.0%

Every rural county in Vermont

What people actually measure in Vermont

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 Communications133 Mbps52.8 Mbps to 284 Mbps16.2 Mbps23 ms21,454
Fidium21.4 Mbps6.9 Mbps to 104 Mbps2.1 Mbps22 ms8,406
Selectronics23.5 Mbps11.3 Mbps to 55.9 Mbps21.1 Mbps22 ms2,222
Charter Communications129 Mbps61.5 Mbps to 243 Mbps10.3 Mbps37 ms2,096
Burlington Telecom120 Mbps41.7 Mbps to 222 Mbps88.3 Mbps20 ms2,092
Vermont Telephone Company93.0 Mbps26.4 Mbps to 287 Mbps89.2 Mbps18 ms2,033
ECFiber89.2 Mbps48.6 Mbps to 275 Mbps79.6 Mbps19 ms1,897
FirstLight Fiber61.4 Mbps30.2 Mbps to 101 Mbps45.4 Mbps15 ms1,193
Stowe Communications44.8 Mbps18.0 Mbps to 96.4 Mbps19.5 Mbps20 ms1,055
TDS TELECOM31.7 Mbps10.6 Mbps to 162 Mbps10.1 Mbps24 ms551
GoNetSpeed16.2 Mbps6.2 Mbps to 68.5 Mbps1.2 Mbps23 ms401
Vermont Agency of Digital Services60.9 Mbps17.9 Mbps to 131 Mbps10.6 Mbps31 ms210

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.