How Much of New York State Doesn’t Have High-Speed Internet?

Broadband internet is a high-speed internet connection that is "always on", as it performs much faster than the old dial-up process of yesteryear. Broadband access grew through the new millennium, and by 2010, 90% of Internet access subscriptions were using broadband,

But there are still many Americans, including ones here in New York state, that don't have high-speed internet.

New York Vows To Connect All Residents to High Speed 

Recently, the state was awarded $228.2 million in federal funding to launch New York’s ConnectALL Municipal Infrastructure Program, that aims to connect "tens of thousands of homes statewide" to broadband, according to a press release from the Governor Office. 

Senate Majority Leader Schumer says that broadband is "not a luxury, it is a necessity, a utility as vital as electricity for success in our modern economy."

See Also: How Much of the Hudson Valley Lives in Poverty?

Some remote areas in the Catskills and Southern Tier still lack broadband infrastructure to this day. A 2021 article in the Democrat & Chronicle also says that areas in North Country, Mohawk Valley, and Central New York have considerably high percentages of households with broadband

Who's Not Connected Yet?

The same 2021 article says that the Mid-Hudson Valley region only has around 12.4% households without high-speed. That marks the second lowest in the state, only to Long Island.

A 2023 opinion piece, that appeared in City & State NY, says that while most of the state has the access to high-speed broadband, many still can't afford it.

The New York state Public Service Commission says that 97% of New York households have access to broadband internet. However, an estimated 1 million households across New York still don't actually have it in their homes even though providers are available.

Houses that are considered "income constrained" struggle to get pr maintain high speed internet, according to the article.