Internet in Santa Clara, California

Two wired networks, and a field of radio providers

As of June 30, 2026 (FCC file revision of November 10, 2026), two companies run wires to nearly all of Santa Clara's 26,691 homes and businesses. Xfinity reports service at 98.2% of them, almost entirely over cable, and AT&T at 93.7%¹, over fiber at some locations and copper at others. Every other company with a large footprint here sends its signal by radio.

Each share counts the locations where a provider tells the FCC it can start service within ten business days of a request. The FCC counts an apartment building as one location, which is largely why the city has 26,691¹ locations while the Census Bureau estimates 53,663 households (margin of error ±2,643³). Provider reports can be challenged, and the FCC map shows what is reported at a single address.

Fiber since 2022: a late start, a fast catch-up

In June 2022, fiber was reported at 8.4% of Santa Clara's locations, well behind Sunnyvale (35.9%) and San Jose (30.7%²). Since then the share has risen by 43.3 percentage points; among the 343 cities of 100,000 or more, that increase ranks 48th highest. Over the same four years fiber rose by 13.8 percentage points in Sunnyvale, 13.1 percentage points in San Jose and 13.8 percentage points¹ across California.

Nearly all of the city's fiber is AT&T's. AT&T reports fiber at 51.7% of locations; Xfinity, the next largest, reports it at 1.0%. The number of companies reporting fiber anywhere in the city went from 3² to 4, but apart from AT&T they reach small pieces of it, and two or more fiber providers reach the same location at only 0.9%¹.

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

Fiber available51.7% +43.3 pts

Two or more wired choices56.6% +37.0 pts

One wired choice41.8% −36.5 pts

DSL available76.4% −8.6 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	8.4%	46.5%	51.7%	43.3 pts
Two or more wired choices	19.7%	52.4%	56.6%	37.0 pts
One wired choice	78.3%	46.0%	41.8%	−36.5 pts
DSL available	85.0%	76.5%	76.4%	−8.6 pts

The building has not stopped. Between December 31, 2025 and June 30, 2026, fiber rose by another 5.2 percentage points, which ranks 44th highest among large cities, while Sunnyvale gained 1.0 percentage points and San Jose 1.1 percentage points. Copper has shrunk more slowly: DSL fell from 85.0%² to 76.4% of locations, still a share that ranks tied for 37th highest¹ among large cities. The data show where each technology is reported, not AT&T's plans for the rest of its copper.

Santa Clara43.3 pts

United States25.4 pts

California13.8 pts

Sunnyvale13.8 pts

San Jose13.1 pts

Fremont12.0 pts

San Francisco5.3 pts

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	Fiber available: change since June 30, 2022
Santa Clara	43.3 pts
United States	25.4 pts
California	13.8 pts
Sunnyvale	13.8 pts
San Jose	13.1 pts
Fremont	12.0 pts
San Francisco	5.3 pts

From one fast wire to two

As fiber spread, so did wired choice. In June 2022, 78.3% of locations had exactly one wired provider offering 100/20 Mbps or more. By June 2026 that share was 41.8%, a fall of 36.5 percentage points, and the share with two or more wired providers had risen from 19.7%² to 56.6%. Santa Clara now sits above California's 49.9% and close to the US figure of 55.6%¹.

Where only one wire offers that speed, it is nearly always Xfinity: it is the sole wired provider at 100/20 Mbps at 41.6% of locations, AT&T at 0.2%. Three or more wired choices remain rare, at 0.5%¹.

Advertised speeds moved up a tier

In June 2022 the fastest advertised download at 94.3% of locations was in the gigabit range, below 2 Gbps. In June 2026, 90.9% of locations had an advertised top speed of 2 Gbps or more. Gigabit service with uploads of at least 100 Mbps (the FCC's 1,000/100 tier) went from 8.4% to 92.2% of locations, and wired service of at least 100/100 Mbps from 8.9%² to 91.7%. Fiber reaches only 51.7%, and the one wired network that reaches nearly every location is Xfinity's cable, so much of the faster upload service is advertised over cable. Xfinity advertises up to 2 Gbps and AT&T up to 5 Gbps¹. These are maximums the providers advertise and report to the FCC, not measured speeds.

Under 25 Mbps or none25–99100–249250–499500–939940–1,9992,000 or more

Santa Clara

California

United States

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
Santa Clara	0.1%	0.3%	0.7%	0.4%	0.2%	7.4%	90.9%
California	1.7%	1.0%	1.7%	1.0%	1.5%	30.7%	62.5%
United States	2.4%	1.6%	1.8%	1.4%	0.9%	31.0%	61.0%

The few hundred locations without a fast wire

Almost every location in Santa Clara is covered: some wired or fixed wireless provider reports 100/20 Mbps at all but 149 locations, and no location relies on satellite alone. The gap that remains is about wires. At 429 locations no wired provider reports 100/20 Mbps, and at 280 of them fixed wireless is the only way to reach that speed. As a share of the city, 1.1%, that ranks tied for 68th highest¹ among large cities, most of which have almost none.

Fixed wireless covers more of Santa Clara than in most cities. Licensed fixed wireless at 100/20 Mbps or more is reported at 94.6% of locations, up from 46.0%² in June 2022. The widest radio network is not a mobile carrier's: Etheric Networks reports 100/20 Mbps at 90.8% of locations, with a top advertised download of 250 Mbps. Verizon reports home internet at 23,272 locations, with a top advertised download of 1 Gbps. Among the unlicensed networks, Ridge Wireless reports 59.1% of locations, Sail Internet 40.7% and Tekify 17.7%¹. Everyone on an antenna sector shares its capacity, so a radio provider's map shows where it says it can serve, not how many homes it can take on.

What Santa Clara households pay for

The Census Bureau's American Community Survey asks households which subscriptions they have. In the 2025 survey, 86.1% of Santa Clara households subscribed to cable, fiber or DSL (margin of error ±2.7 percentage points), 9.6% relied only on a cellular data plan (±2.9 percentage points) and 2.5% had no internet subscription (±1.2 percentage points³). The five-year 2020–2024 estimate, with a narrower margin, puts broadband of any type at 95.9% (±0.8 percentage points⁵).

Wired 100/20 Mbps available (FCC, share of locations)98.4%

Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census)86.1% ±2.7

Households relying only on a cellular data plan9.6% ±2.9

Households with no internet subscription2.5% ±1.2

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)	98.4%
Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census)	86.1%	±2.7
Households relying only on a cellular data plan	9.6%	±2.9
Households with no internet subscription	2.5%	±1.2

The survey counts households over a year and the FCC counts locations on one date, so the two sets of figures cannot be matched one to one. The California page maps every county, including Santa Clara County, which also contains Sunnyvale and San Jose.