Internet service in Carlsbad, California

Providers reporting service, June 2026

The FCC counts 33,774¹ homes and businesses inside Carlsbad's city limits, and the National Broadband Map, as of June 30, 2026 (revision of November 10, 2026), lists who reports service at each one. "Reported" means the provider says it can install standard service within ten business days; the claim can be challenged on the map.

Two companies have wires to nearly the whole city. Spectrum reports service at 96.8% of locations, almost all of it over cable, with a fastest advertised download of 1 Gbps. AT&T reports service at 92.3%, but that covers three technologies: fiber at 26.5% of locations, DSL across most of the city and fixed wireless in some areas. AT&T offers 100/20 Mbps at 39.6%¹ of locations.

Spectrum here, Cox next door

Cox, the cable company in most of San Diego County's other large cities, reports service at only 0.5% of Carlsbad's locations. In Oceanside, the city to the north, the positions are reversed: Cox at 96.6%, Spectrum at 0.5%. The table compares Carlsbad with San Diego County's other cities of 100,000 or more, all from the same FCC release. Carlsbad has the highest DSL share of the six cities, and its fiber share, 36.0%, is below the San Diego County figure of 38.7%¹.

The highest subscription rate among large cities

Whichever network reaches them, almost every Carlsbad household pays for internet. The FCC map shows what is offered; the Census Bureau's American Community Survey shows what households buy. In the 2025 survey, 99.3% of Carlsbad households had a broadband subscription of some kind (margin of error ±0.8 percentage points), the highest point estimate among large cities, and 0.7% had no internet subscription. With a margin of error that size, the cities just below Carlsbad in that ranking may not differ from it significantly. Across California the broadband share is 95.6%³.

Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations)97.7%

Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census)82.3% ±3.8

Households relying only on a cellular data plan13.8% ±3.9

Households with no internet subscription0.7% ±0.5

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables. Availability is a share of locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC); subscriptions are a share of households from the American Community Survey, 2025 (whiskers: 90% margin of error). Different units and dates: read the gap as a sign, not an exact number.

Show the numbers

Measure	Share	MOE
Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations)	97.7%
Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census)	82.3%	±3.8
Households relying only on a cellular data plan	13.8%	±3.9
Households with no internet subscription	0.7%	±0.5

82.3% of households subscribed to cable, fiber or DSL (±3.8 percentage points), 13.8% used only a cellular data plan (±3.9 percentage points) and 7.9% reported a satellite subscription (±3.1 percentage points³). The five-year survey for 2020–2024, with a larger sample, puts broadband subscription at 96.1% (±0.8 percentage points⁴).

Fiber more than quadrupled since 2022

In June 2022, fiber was reported at 7.5%² of Carlsbad's locations. By December 2025 the share was 29.6%⁵, and six months later 36.0%. The gain of 6.3 percentage points in the latest six months alone is 31st highest¹ among the 343 cities of 100,000 or more.

June 30, 2022December 31, 2025June 30, 2026

Fiber available36.0% +28.5 pts

One wired choice53.8% −23.1 pts

Two or more wired choices44.0% +23.6 pts

Wired 100/100 Mbps36.0% +28.5 pts

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Shares of broadband serviceable locations in each FCC release (latest revision of each); the small number is the change in percentage points since June 30, 2022. The FCC's count of locations is updated with each release, so shares are compared rather than counts.

Show the numbers

Measure	June 30, 2022	December 31, 2025	June 30, 2026	Change (points)
Fiber available	7.5%	29.6%	36.0%	28.5 pts
One wired choice	76.8%	58.9%	53.8%	−23.1 pts
Two or more wired choices	20.3%	38.8%	44.0%	23.6 pts
Wired 100/100 Mbps	7.5%	32.2%	36.0%	28.5 pts

Most of it is AT&T's fiber, reported at 26.5% of locations with a fastest advertised download of 5 Gbps. Ting reports fiber at 9.3% (up to 2 Gbps) and had no locations in the city in the June 2022 data. Spectrum reports fiber at 0.6% of locations and Cox at 0.5%. In total 5¹ companies report fiber somewhere in Carlsbad, against 2² in 2022.

The fiber networks mostly cover different locations. Two or more fiber providers are reported at only 0.9% of locations. Even after the growth, Carlsbad's fiber share ranks tied for 47th lowest among large cities and below California's 47.8%¹.

A second fast wire at almost half of addresses

Wired service of 100/20 Mbps or more, from cable or fiber, is reported at 97.7% of locations. What the new fiber changed is choice. In 2022, 76.8%² of locations had exactly one wired provider at that speed; in June 2026 the share was 53.8%, and 44.0% had two or more. At 52.9%¹ of locations, Spectrum is still the only wired option at 100/20 Mbps.

NoneOneTwoThree or more

Carlsbad

Oceanside

California

United States

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Different wired providers (fiber, cable or DSL; FCC provider IDs) reporting 100 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up or more at the same location. Fixed wireless and satellite are not counted.

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Area	None	One	Two	Three or more
Carlsbad	2.3%	53.8%	41.9%	2.1%
Oceanside	2.6%	68.9%	26.1%	2.4%
California	6.9%	43.2%	43.4%	6.5%
United States	7.8%	36.6%	44.6%	11.1%

Statewide, 43.2% of locations have a single wired provider at 100/20 Mbps, so Carlsbad still has a larger share of single-wire addresses than California as a whole. 771 locations have no wired provider at that speed; 30¹ have satellite only.

Gigabit uploads exist only where fiber does

Almost every location in Carlsbad can order a 1 Gbps download: 97.7%, mostly on Spectrum's cable network. The FCC's gigabit benchmark, however, also requires uploads of at least 100 Mbps (1,000/100), and cable service here is not reported at that upload speed. Gigabit service by that definition is reported at 36.0% of locations, the same share as fiber and the 15th lowest among large cities. California's figure is 67.4%¹.

Worcester, Massachusetts 0.7%Clarksville, Tennessee 100.0%

Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Each dot is a city. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.

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Area	Gigabit (1,000/100)
Chattanooga, Tennessee	100.0%
Clarksville, Tennessee	100.0%
West Valley City, Utah	99.9%
Sparks, Nevada	99.9%
Boulder, Colorado	99.9%
Lincoln, Nebraska	99.9%
Simi Valley, California	99.9%
Longmont, Colorado	99.9%
Reno, Nevada	99.8%
Pompano Beach, Florida	99.8%
Eugene, Oregon	99.8%
Aurora, Illinois	99.7%
Arvada, Colorado	99.7%
Salt Lake City, Utah	99.7%
Fishers, Indiana	99.7%
Hillsboro, Oregon	99.6%
Gresham, Oregon	99.6%
Manchester, New Hampshire	99.6%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	99.6%
Knoxville, Tennessee	99.5%
Independence, Missouri	99.5%
Hollywood, Florida	99.5%
Centennial, Colorado	99.5%
San Mateo, California	99.4%
Sandy Springs, Georgia	99.4%
Des Moines, Iowa	99.4%
Fairfield, California	99.3%
Greeley, Colorado	99.3%
Olathe, Kansas	99.3%
Overland Park, Kansas	99.3%
Miami Gardens, Florida	99.3%
Rochester, Minnesota	99.3%
Pasadena, Texas	99.2%
Hialeah, Florida	99.2%
Provo, Utah	99.2%
Visalia, California	99.2%
Miami, Florida	99.1%
Colorado Springs, Colorado	99.1%
Minneapolis, Minnesota	98.9%
Miramar, Florida	98.8%
Louisville, Kentucky	98.7%
Lexington, Kentucky	98.7%
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma	98.6%
Huntsville, Alabama	98.6%
Frisco, Texas	98.6%
Allen, Texas	98.6%
Cedar Rapids, Iowa	98.5%
Murfreesboro, Tennessee	98.5%
McKinney, Texas	98.5%
Hartford, Connecticut	98.5%
Peoria, Illinois	98.5%
Amarillo, Texas	98.4%
Sugar Land, Texas	98.4%
Conroe, Texas	98.3%
League City, Texas	98.3%
Cincinnati, Ohio	98.2%
Nashville, Tennessee	98.2%
Fort Collins, Colorado	98.1%
Waterbury, Connecticut	98.0%
Norfolk, Virginia	98.0%
Clovis, California	98.0%
Fremont, California	97.9%
Pembroke Pines, Florida	97.9%
Pearland, Texas	97.9%
Stockton, California	97.8%
Mesquite, Texas	97.7%
Arlington, Texas	97.7%
San Angelo, Texas	97.6%
Sacramento, California	97.5%
Fort Lauderdale, Florida	97.5%
Kansas City, Missouri	97.4%
West Jordan, Utah	97.4%
Baltimore, Maryland	97.2%
Abilene, Texas	97.2%
Springfield, Massachusetts	97.2%
Rochester, New York	97.1%
Fort Worth, Texas	97.0%
Lakewood, Colorado	97.0%
Plano, Texas	97.0%
North Las Vegas, Nevada	97.0%
Atlanta, Georgia	96.9%
St. Louis, Missouri	96.9%
Dallas, Texas	96.9%
Grand Prairie, Texas	96.9%
Vancouver, Washington	96.9%
Rio Rancho, New Mexico	96.9%
Richardson, Texas	96.9%
New Haven, Connecticut	96.9%
Oakland, California	96.9%
Spokane, Washington	96.8%
Las Vegas, Nevada	96.8%
Lee's Summit, Missouri	96.8%
Henderson, Nevada	96.8%
Bridgeport, Connecticut	96.7%
Westminster, Colorado	96.7%
Jackson, Mississippi	96.6%
Lynn, Massachusetts	96.6%
Little Rock, Arkansas	96.6%
Garland, Texas	96.5%
Wichita Falls, Texas	96.4%
Cape Coral, Florida	96.4%
Pueblo, Colorado	96.3%
Jersey City, New Jersey	96.3%
Wichita, Kansas	96.2%
San Jose, California	96.2%
Carrollton, Texas	96.2%
Grand Rapids, Michigan	96.2%
Buckeye, Arizona	96.1%
Denver, Colorado	96.0%
Yonkers, New York	96.0%
Gilbert, Arizona	96.0%
Houston, Texas	95.9%
Norman, Oklahoma	95.9%
Irving, Texas	95.9%
Lewisville, Texas	95.9%
Oceanside, California	95.8%
Boca Raton, Florida	95.8%
Seattle, Washington	95.7%
Naperville, Illinois	95.7%
Davenport, Iowa	95.6%
South Fulton, Georgia	95.6%
Everett, Washington	95.4%
Chula Vista, California	95.4%
Cary, North Carolina	95.1%
Lowell, Massachusetts	95.0%
Thornton, Colorado	94.9%
Irvine, California	94.9%
Palm Coast, Florida	94.8%
St. Paul, Minnesota	94.8%
Surprise, Arizona	94.6%
Fargo, North Dakota	94.6%
Elizabeth, New Jersey	94.5%
Warren, Michigan	94.4%
Kansas City, Kansas	94.2%
Daly City, California	94.2%
Roseville, California	94.2%
Vallejo, California	94.2%
Paterson, New Jersey	93.9%
Omaha, Nebraska	93.8%
Menifee, California	93.8%
Vacaville, California	93.6%
Bellevue, Washington	93.5%
Stamford, Connecticut	93.5%
Hayward, California	93.4%
Newark, New Jersey	93.3%
Concord, California	93.3%
Round Rock, Texas	93.2%
West Palm Beach, Florida	92.9%
Fayetteville, Arkansas	92.8%
Peoria, Arizona	92.7%
Temecula, California	92.6%
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma	92.4%
Murrieta, California	92.3%
Berkeley, California	92.3%
Columbia, Missouri	92.3%
Port St. Lucie, Florida	92.3%
Santa Clara, California	92.2%
Memphis, Tennessee	92.1%
Lubbock, Texas	92.1%
Topeka, Kansas	91.8%
Fresno, California	91.8%
Lansing, Michigan	91.8%
Raleigh, North Carolina	91.6%
Lafayette, Louisiana	91.6%
Augusta, Georgia	91.5%
Scottsdale, Arizona	91.4%
Fort Wayne, Indiana	91.2%
Glendale, Arizona	91.2%
High Point, North Carolina	91.2%
El Cajon, California	91.1%
Tulsa, Oklahoma	91.0%
Rockford, Illinois	91.0%
Washington, District of Columbia	90.7%
Davie, Florida	90.6%
Edmond, Oklahoma	90.5%
Phoenix, Arizona	90.4%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	90.4%
Jacksonville, Florida	90.3%
Goodyear, Arizona	90.3%
Yuma, Arizona	90.0%
Elk Grove, California	90.0%
Honolulu, Hawaii	90.0%
Killeen, Texas	89.9%
Carmel, Indiana	89.9%
Elgin, Illinois	89.8%
Tyler, Texas	89.6%
Durham, North Carolina	89.5%
Chandler, Arizona	89.3%
Sioux Falls, South Dakota	88.9%
Richmond, California	88.8%
Avondale, Arizona	88.8%
Concord, North Carolina	88.7%
Antioch, California	88.6%
Mobile, Alabama	88.4%
Denton, Texas	88.2%
San Antonio, Texas	88.2%
Tampa, Florida	87.8%
Tuscaloosa, Alabama	87.6%
Fayetteville, North Carolina	87.4%
Gainesville, Florida	87.2%
Hesperia, California	87.1%
Alexandria, Virginia	86.9%
New Orleans, Louisiana	86.6%
Indianapolis, Indiana	86.4%
New York, New York	86.3%
Downey, California	86.2%
Spokane Valley, Washington	86.0%
Odessa, Texas	85.9%
Macon, Georgia	85.9%
Portland, Oregon	85.8%
Tacoma, Washington	85.7%
Baton Rouge, Louisiana	85.5%
Tucson, Arizona	85.4%
Mesa, Arizona	85.3%
Aurora, Colorado	85.3%
Escondido, California	85.1%
Tempe, Arizona	84.7%
Salinas, California	84.7%
Long Beach, California	83.9%
Charlotte, North Carolina	83.7%
Modesto, California	83.5%
Coral Springs, Florida	83.1%
Fort Myers, Florida	83.0%
Boston, Massachusetts	82.8%
Thousand Oaks, California	82.8%
Tallahassee, Florida	82.7%
Joliet, Illinois	82.7%
Midland, Texas	82.6%
Lancaster, California	82.5%
Austin, Texas	82.4%
Salem, Oregon	82.2%
Providence, Rhode Island	82.1%
Victorville, California	82.0%
Greensboro, North Carolina	81.8%
Ontario, California	81.5%
Pomona, California	81.4%
Savannah, Georgia	81.4%
West Covina, California	80.7%
San Francisco, California	79.6%
Santa Maria, California	79.5%
South Bend, Indiana	79.1%
Charleston, South Carolina	78.7%
Brockton, Massachusetts	78.6%
Detroit, Michigan	78.6%
Corpus Christi, Texas	78.1%
Cambridge, Massachusetts	78.0%
Ann Arbor, Michigan	77.9%
Shreveport, Louisiana	77.8%
Fullerton, California	77.7%
Newport News, Virginia	77.2%
Sunnyvale, California	76.8%
Deltona, Florida	76.4%
Nampa, Idaho	75.8%
New Braunfels, Texas	75.1%
Green Bay, Wisconsin	74.4%
North Charleston, South Carolina	73.3%
Hampton, Virginia	73.2%
Torrance, California	72.7%
Springfield, Illinois	72.7%
Anchorage, Alaska	72.3%
Dearborn, Michigan	72.2%
Huntington Beach, California	72.1%
Meridian, Idaho	72.0%
Virginia Beach, Virginia	71.8%
New Bedford, Massachusetts	71.6%
Madison, Wisconsin	71.6%
Columbia, South Carolina	70.4%
Moreno Valley, California	70.0%
St. Petersburg, Florida	69.9%
Suffolk, Virginia	69.7%
Orlando, Florida	69.5%
Milwaukee, Wisconsin	69.5%
Waco, Texas	69.2%
Brownsville, Texas	69.2%
San Bernardino, California	69.1%
Wilmington, North Carolina	68.9%
Santa Rosa, California	68.7%
Chicago, Illinois	68.4%
Kent, Washington	68.0%
Sterling Heights, Michigan	67.9%
Chesapeake, Virginia	67.5%
Garden Grove, California	67.4%
Winston-Salem, North Carolina	67.2%
Beaumont, Texas	65.6%
Renton, Washington	65.3%
Laredo, Texas	65.2%
Evansville, Indiana	63.6%
St. George, Utah	63.4%
Albuquerque, New Mexico	63.4%
Tracy, California	63.3%
San Diego, California	63.1%
Lakeland, Florida	62.9%
Palm Bay, Florida	62.6%
El Paso, Texas	62.0%
Dayton, Ohio	61.8%
Columbus, Georgia	61.3%
Montgomery, Alabama	60.7%
Allentown, Pennsylvania	60.5%
Oxnard, California	60.2%
Edinburg, Texas	58.6%
Quincy, Massachusetts	57.8%
Athens, Georgia	57.4%
Clearwater, Florida	57.0%
Cleveland, Ohio	56.2%
Akron, Ohio	55.1%
College Station, Texas	55.1%
Santa Ana, California	54.8%
Chico, California	54.6%
Birmingham, Alabama	53.5%
Los Angeles, California	53.3%
Inglewood, California	52.9%
Toledo, Ohio	52.8%
Burbank, California	52.5%
Costa Mesa, California	49.4%
Columbus, Ohio	46.1%
Pasadena, California	45.6%
Springfield, Missouri	45.5%
Billings, Montana	44.3%
McAllen, Texas	43.7%
Las Cruces, New Mexico	42.9%
Glendale, California	40.2%
Buffalo, New York	40.1%
Bakersfield, California	40.1%
Riverside, California	38.3%
Anaheim, California	37.9%
Georgetown, Texas	37.4%
Boise, Idaho	37.2%
Palmdale, California	36.9%
Carlsbad, California	36.0%
Bend, Oregon	35.1%
El Monte, California	34.1%
Richmond, Virginia	32.9%
Orange, California	32.6%
Fontana, California	30.5%
Jurupa Valley, California	27.8%
Ventura, California	23.8%
Rancho Cucamonga, California	21.8%
Rialto, California	20.7%
Santa Clarita, California	18.4%
Corona, California	13.6%
Albany, New York	1.6%
Syracuse, New York	1.3%
Worcester, Massachusetts	0.7%

The fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more at 29.8%¹ of locations, up from 2.0%² in 2022. All of these are advertised maximums reported by providers, not measured speeds.

AT&T's copper lines are still on the map

DSL over telephone lines is reported at 80.0% of Carlsbad's locations, the 23rd highest share among large cities and well above California's 43.7%¹. The share was 78.3%² in 2022, so DSL has not shrunk on the map as fiber grew. AT&T's fastest advertised DSL download here is 100 Mbps; where its fiber has not arrived, the copper line is the AT&T option.

5G home internet and a local radio network

Verizon reports fixed wireless home internet at 76.7% of locations and T-Mobile at 71.1%. Both offer 100/20 Mbps at far fewer locations: 29.1% and 29.1%. Licensed fixed wireless of 100/20 Mbps or more is reported at 45.7%¹ of locations, up from 8.5%² in 2022 but down from 51.4%⁵ in December 2025. Each tower sector's capacity is shared, so the carriers decide eligibility address by address.

San Diego Broadband, a regional fixed wireless provider using unlicensed spectrum, reports service at 8.4% of locations, with a fastest advertised download of 750 Mbps¹.

The California page maps every county, including San Diego County, and the San Diego page covers the county's largest city.