Internet in Chico, California
Fiber is available at 30.7% of the 30,045 homes and businesses the FCC counts in Chico, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 99.3%. 30.3% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 69.0% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
Chico in California
Fiber in Chico has doubled since 2022, from 15.5%2 to 30.7% of homes and businesses, as AT&T extended its network and Race Communications built a new one. Xfinity's cable still reaches nearly every address and is the only wired provider at 100/20 Mbps for 69.0% of them. The city's other choice is fixed wireless, offered at 100/20 Mbps or more at 86.3%1 of locations, one of the highest shares among large US cities.
Xfinity at almost every address, fiber at under a third
Chico has 30,045 homes and businesses in the FCC's count, as of June 30, 2026 (file revision of November 10, 2026). Xfinity's network reaches 99.3% of them with advertised service of 100/20 Mbps or more. AT&T reports service at 54.6%, but at most of those addresses it is DSL or fixed wireless: AT&T offers 100/20 Mbps at only 21.0%1. The table lists every provider with the share of locations where it reports service. "Reports service" means the provider says it can connect a location within ten business days; anyone can challenge a listing on the FCC map.
| Xfinity | Fiber Cable | 99.3% | 99.3% | 2 Gbps | 69.0% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DigitalPath Inc | Licensed wireless Fixed wireless | 90.0% | 75.1% | 400 Mbps | – |
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 82.2% | 20.8% | 300 Mbps | – |
| T-Mobile | Licensed wireless | 69.3% | 20.9% | 100 Mbps | – |
| AT&T | Fiber DSL Licensed wireless | 54.6% | 21.0% | 5 Gbps | 0.0% |
| unWired Broadband | Licensed wireless Fixed wireless | 33.9% | 33.9% | 500 Mbps | – |
| Race Communications | Fiber | 15.1% | 15.1% | 1 Gbps | 0.0% |
| MGI | Fixed wireless | 1.3% | 0.0% | 75 Mbps | – |
| GeoLinks | Licensed wireless | 0.8% | 0.8% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Succeed.Net | Fixed wireless | 0.5% | 0.5% | 100 Mbps | – |
| AccessParks | Fiber | 0.4% | 0.4% | 1 Gbps | – |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of the area's broadband serviceable locations where the provider reports service as of June 30, 2026. "Only wired option" is the share of locations where it is the single wired provider at 100/20 Mbps. Provider-reported and challengeable; speeds are advertised maximums, not measured; no prices. Satellite providers (HughesNet, Starlink, Viasat) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
Fiber from any provider reaches 30.7% of locations, which ranks 34th lowest among the 343 US cities of 100,000 or more. California's share is 47.8%. AT&T's fiber covers 19.6% of Chico and Race Communications' 15.1%, and the two footprints rarely meet: only 4.7%1 of locations have two or more fiber providers.
A second wire at under a third of addresses
Most of Chico has a choice of only one fast wire. At 69.0% of locations exactly one wired provider offers 100/20 Mbps, the 22nd highest share among large cities; in 2022 it was 83.5%2. Two or more wired providers at that speed reach 30.3%, against 49.9% statewide. Where there is only one, it is almost always Xfinity, which is the sole wired 100/20 provider at 69.0%1 of the city's locations.
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.
Show the numbers
| Area | None | One | Two | Three or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chico | 0.7% | 69.0% | 25.7% | 4.7% |
| Butte County | 17.5% | 63.9% | 16.8% | 1.8% |
| California | 6.9% | 43.2% | 43.4% | 6.5% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
Fixed wireless at 100/20 almost everywhere
What sets Chico apart is how much fixed wireless reaches the 100/20 Mbps standard. Licensed fixed wireless at that speed is reported at 86.3% of locations, a share that ranks tied for 33rd highest among large cities; in 2022 it was 2.5%2. The largest share comes from DigitalPath, which reports service at 90.0% of locations and 100/20 Mbps at 75.1%, with advertised downloads up to 400 Mbps. unWired Broadband, absent from the 2022 data, now offers 100/20 Mbps at 33.9%. Verizon reports 100/20 Mbps home internet at 20.8% of locations and T-Mobile at 20.9%1.
Licensed fixed wireless of any speed is reported at 97.6% of locations, almost as many as cable's 98.9%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Share of broadband serviceable locations where at least one provider reports the technology, at any speed; a location can have several. Satellite is reported almost everywhere and is left out.
Show the numbers
| Technology | Chico | California |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber | 30.7% | 47.8% |
| Cable | 98.9% | 90.5% |
| DSL (copper) | 22.6% | 43.7% |
| Licensed fixed wireless (incl. 5G home) | 97.6% | 88.1% |
| Unlicensed fixed wireless | 22.8% | 35.3% |
The 100/20 Mbps fixed wireless share is higher in Chico than in Sacramento (58.3%), Roseville (60.9%) or Santa Rosa (30.8%), and above California's 56.1%1.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Show the numbers
| Area | Fixed wireless 100/20 |
|---|---|
| Chico | 86.3% |
| Roseville | 60.9% |
| Sacramento | 58.3% |
| California | 56.1% |
| United States | 47.9% |
| Santa Rosa | 30.8% |
Counting every ground-based technology, 60.8% of locations have three or more providers at 100/20 Mbps, up from 6.0%2 in 2022. Wireless capacity is shared on each tower, so providers limit sign-ups by address; the FCC figures show where service is reported, not where every home could connect at once. At 0.7% of locations (2031 in all), fixed wireless is the only service at 100/20 Mbps.
Fiber doubled from a low base
In the first National Broadband Map data, as of June 30, 2022, fiber was reported at 15.5% of Chico's locations. Four years later the share is 30.7%, a gain of 15.2 percentage points. Race Communications did not report any service in the city in 2022; it now reports fiber at 4,533 locations, with advertised downloads up to 1 Gbps. AT&T's footprint in the city grew over the same period, while DSL fell from 27.9%2 to 22.6%1 of locations.
Most of the gain came before the end of 2025. Since December 31, 2025, the fiber share rose by only 0.7 percentage points1.
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 | 15.5% | 30.0% | 30.7% | 15.2 pts |
| Gigabit (1,000/100) | 15.5% | 45.6% | 54.6% | 39.1 pts |
| Two or more wired choices | 15.4% | 29.6% | 30.3% | 14.9 pts |
| DSL available | 27.9% | 22.8% | 22.6% | −5.3 pts |
Gigabit uploads reach beyond the fiber
The FCC's gigabit tier, 1 Gbps download with at least 100 Mbps upload, is advertised at 54.6% of Chico's locations, up from 15.5%2 in 2022. That is well above the fiber share, so in Chico the tier is also reported over cable, not only over fiber. The share rose by 9.0 percentage points in the latest six months alone, an increase that ranks tied for 32nd highest among large cities. It remains below the California figure of 67.4%1.
At the top end, the fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more at 46.2% of locations, against 14.6%2 in 2022. AT&T advertises up to 5 Gbps on its fiber. Xfinity's top figure, 2 Gbps, applies to its small fiber footprint (0.3%1 of locations); on cable it advertises up to 2 Gbps. These are providers' maximum advertised speeds, not measured speeds.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Maximum advertised download speed (Mbps) of any wired or fixed wireless offer at the location, as reported by providers to the FCC; satellite excluded. Advertised, not measured.
Show the numbers
| Area | Under 25 Mbps or none | 25–99 | 100–249 | 250–499 | 500–939 | 940–1,999 | 2,000 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chico | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 53.1% | 46.2% |
| Butte County | 4.0% | 1.5% | 4.3% | 6.3% | 1.3% | 47.8% | 34.7% |
| California | 1.7% | 1.0% | 1.7% | 1.0% | 1.5% | 30.7% | 62.5% |
Fewer households without any subscription since 2019
In the Census Bureau's 2025 survey, 96.8% of Chico households had a broadband subscription of some kind (margin of error ±1.5 percentage points), and 3.2% had no internet subscription (±1.4 percentage points). In the 2019 survey the share without a subscription was 8.5% (±2.8 percentage points5); the two ranges do not overlap. In 2025, 80.9% subscribed to cable, fiber or DSL and 14.0%4 relied only on a cellular data plan. These are survey estimates of households, while the FCC counts locations.
| Measure | Chico | California | United States | Rank among largest cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Households with a broadband subscription of any type | 96.8% ±1.5 | 95.6% | – | tied 57th of 340 |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL | 80.9% ±4.4 | 78.8% | – | tied 121st of 340 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 14.0% ±3.5 | 12.9% | – | tied 123rd of 340 |
| Households without an internet subscription | 3.2% ±1.4 | 4.4% | – | tied 269th of 340 |
| Households without an internet subscription | 8.5% ±2.8 | 10.0% | – | 237th of 343 |
Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year detailed tables. Rank 1 is the highest value. Period: 2025.
The city against the rest of Butte County
Chico is better connected than the county around it. No location in the city relies on satellite alone, while in Butte County as a whole 2.5% do, and 4.5% of the county's locations are unserved under the federal BEAD definition, without reliable wired or licensed fixed wireless service at 25/3 Mbps. Fiber reaches 20.6% of the county's 77,7181 locations.
| Area | Fiber available | Gigabit (1,000/100) | One wired choice | Unserved | Satellite only |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chico, California | 30.7% | 54.6% | 69.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Butte County, California | 20.6% | 39.6% | 63.9% | 4.5% | 2.5% |
| California | 47.8% | 67.4% | 43.2% | 1.6% | 0.7% |
| United States | 62.6% | 72.3% | 36.6% | 2.4% | 0.8% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
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Questions and answers
What internet providers are available in Chico, California?
Xfinity reports service at 99.3% of Chico's locations, AT&T reports fiber, DSL or fixed wireless at 54.6%, and Race Communications reports fiber at 15.1%. Fixed wireless comes from DigitalPath (90.0%), Verizon (82.2%), T-Mobile (69.3%) and unWired Broadband (33.9%1). Starlink, HughesNet and Viasat report satellite service everywhere. Figures as of June 30, 2026.
Is fiber internet available in Chico?
At 30.7% of locations as of June 30, 2026, against 47.8% across California and 62.6% nationally. AT&T reports fiber at 19.6% of Chico's locations and Race Communications at 15.1%; two or more fiber providers overlap at only 4.7%1.
How many internet providers are there in Chico?
11 providers report ground-based service somewhere in the city, up from 72 in June 2022, but only 4 of them use a wire. At a typical address, 69.0%1 of locations have exactly one wired provider at 100/20 Mbps.
Checking one address in Chico
The figures on this page describe the whole area. Which providers report service at a single home or apartment is shown only on the FCC's own map: search the address at broadbandmap.fcc.gov. If a provider is listed there but cannot actually connect you within ten business days, or the location is missing or misplaced, the map has a button to file a challenge; providers must respond, and corrections flow into later releases. Prices and plans are not part of the FCC data: each provider must show them on its broadband facts label at the point of sale.
More on internet in California
The state picture, county by county: internet in California. Other large cities in the state: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach, Oakland, Bakersfield, Anaheim, Stockton and Riverside. Compare Chico with any other city or state in the comparison tool.
Sources
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Availability as of June 30, 2026; released November 10, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2022; Availability as of June 30, 2022; released May 10, 2024. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of December 31, 2025; Availability as of December 31, 2025; released November 3, 2026. broadbandmap.fcc.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables; 2025 (calendar-year sample); released October 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019 1-year detailed tables; 2019. api.census.gov
Margins of error (±) are at the 90% confidence level. A difference is called significant only when it passes the Census Bureau's test at that level. How every figure is built: methodology. Found an error? Write to [email protected]; corrections are listed on the updates page.