Internet in Columbia, Missouri
Fiber is available at 92.6% of the 37,269 homes and businesses the FCC counts in Columbia, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 98.6%. 92.1% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 6.5% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
Columbia in Missouri
In Columbia, fiber has largely taken over from the copper telephone network. DSL was reported at 88.6%2 of the city's homes and businesses in June 2022 and at 26.9% four years later, while fiber rose to 92.6%. Two different fiber providers now reach 63.4%1 of locations, with Mediacom's cable alongside.
Socket, Brightspeed and Mediacom
The FCC counts 37,269 homes and businesses inside Columbia's 2020 city limits, as of June 30, 2026 (file revision of November 10, 2026). Three companies run wired networks across nearly all of them. Socket reports fiber at 87.5% of locations, with advertised downloads up to 2.5 Gbps. Brightspeed reports service at 91.8%, fiber at 67.5% and DSL at much of the rest. Mediacom's cable network reaches 90.0%, with up to 1 Gbps1.
| Brightspeed | Fiber DSL Fixed wireless | 91.8% | 67.5% | 2 Gbps | 0.4% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mediacom | Cable | 90.0% | 90.0% | 1 Gbps | 5.0% |
| Socket Telecom LLC | Fiber DSL | 87.7% | 87.5% | 2.5 Gbps | 0.7% |
| T-Mobile | Licensed wireless | 78.7% | 31.0% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 76.6% | 31.1% | 300 Mbps | – |
| AT&T | Licensed wireless | 46.2% | 7.1% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Air Link Rural Broadband LLC | Fixed wireless | 20.6% | 0.0% | 25 Mbps | – |
| Spectrum | Fiber Cable | 15.0% | 15.0% | 1 Gbps | 0.3% |
| Wisper ISP, LLC | Licensed wireless | 11.2% | 11.2% | 1 Gbps | – |
| Stimulus Technologies | Fixed wireless | 2.7% | 2.7% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Chariton Valley Communication Corporation | Fiber | 0.2% | 0.2% | 1 Gbps | 0.0% |
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, Viasat, Starlink) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
Some rows cover only part of the city. Spectrum reports cable or fiber at 15.0% of locations. Air Link Rural Broadband reports unlicensed fixed wireless at 20.6%, with a top advertised speed of 25 Mbps1, below the 100/20 Mbps benchmark. HughesNet, Starlink and Viasat report satellite service at virtually every location, as they do nationwide. A provider that reports a location says it serves it or could connect it within ten business days of a standard request. The claim can be challenged on the FCC National Broadband Map.
Most of the copper dropped out in one release
No figure in Columbia's data moved as much as DSL. Internet over copper telephone lines was reported at 88.6%2 of locations in June 2022 and still at 72.3%3 on December 31, 2025. Six months later it was down to 26.9%, a fall of 45.4 percentage points in a single release. Across Missouri, DSL is still reported at 47.6%1 of locations.
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSL available | 88.6% | 72.3% | 26.9% | −61.7 pts |
| Fiber available | 46.9% | 92.6% | 92.6% | 45.7 pts |
| Two or more fiber networks | 3.6% | 62.6% | 63.4% | 59.9 pts |
The fiber side changed earlier. Fiber from any provider reached 46.9% of locations in June 2022 and 92.6% now, a rise of 45.7 percentage points. The share with two or more fiber providers grew from 3.6%2 to 63.4%, the 23rd highest share among the 343 cities of 100,000 or more. Brightspeed did not appear in the city's June 2022 data; it now reports service at 34,221 locations. Socket, already present in 2022, now reports service at 32,6741.
Between December 2025 and June 2026, while DSL fell, the fiber share changed by 0.0 percentage points1, so the copper retreat in that release was not matched by new fiber coverage in the same period.
Among Missouri's cities of 100,000 or more, Columbia now has the lowest DSL share, below the national figure of 36.2%. In Springfield, DSL is still reported at 79.5%1 of locations.
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 | DSL available |
|---|---|
| Springfield | 79.5% |
| Lee's Summit | 79.2% |
| Kansas City | 54.5% |
| Independence | 52.5% |
| Missouri | 47.6% |
| St. Louis | 41.2% |
| United States | 36.2% |
| Columbia | 26.9% |
Three wired choices at most addresses
What a resident can choose depends on how many networks pass one building. At 61.1% of Columbia's locations, three or more wired providers offer at least 100/20 Mbps; at 31.0% there are exactly two. Only 6.5% depend on a single wired provider at that speed, down from 48.4%2 in June 2022. Across Missouri, 30.4% of locations have one wired option and 55.1%1 have two or more.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia | 1.5% | 6.5% | 31.0% | 61.1% |
| Missouri | 14.5% | 30.4% | 38.4% | 16.7% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
Where only one wire is fast enough, it is usually Mediacom, the sole wired provider at 100/20 Mbps for 5.0% of locations, or Socket, for 0.7%. On average a Columbia location has 2.601 wired providers at 100/20 Mbps.
Gigabit uploads, not just downloads
Fiber changes the upload side as much as the download side. Symmetrical wired service of 100/100 Mbps is advertised at 92.6% of locations, against 77.8% statewide. Gigabit service with uploads of at least 100 Mbps (the FCC's 1,000/100 tier) is advertised at 92.3% of locations, up from 27.2%2 in June 2022; statewide the figure is 76.1%. At 91.2% of locations, the fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more, against 49.6%1 across Missouri. These are maximum speeds the providers advertise to the FCC, not measurements of service.
Fixed wireless, and the few gaps
AT&T reports no wired service in Columbia: its 46.2% share of locations is fixed wireless, with 100/20 Mbps at 7.1%. T-Mobile reports home internet at 78.7% of locations and Verizon at 76.6%; Verizon reported home internet at only a few dozen locations in June 2022 and now reports 28,545; AT&T reported none. Wisper reports licensed fixed wireless at 11.2%, advertising up to 1 Gbps. Licensed fixed wireless at 100/20 Mbps or faster from any provider is reported at 57.4%1 of locations. A tower sector can carry only so many homes, and the carriers decide eligibility address by address, so these shares describe where service is reported rather than where every home could sign up.
The remaining gaps are small in number. The FCC data show 91 unserved locations, without reliable land-based service of at least 25/3 Mbps, 299 where fixed wireless is the only option at 100/20 Mbps and 41 where satellite is the only service reported. Small as it is, the unserved share of 0.2% ranks tied for 43rd highest1 among large cities.
More homes without a subscription than the network suggests
The FCC data describe what is offered; the Census Bureau's American Community Survey describes what households buy. In the 2025 one-year survey, 9.4% of Columbia households had no internet subscription (margin of error ±2.7 percentage points), tied for 14th highest among large cities by point estimate. Statewide the share was 7.3% (±0.3 percentage points). 10.0% of Columbia households relied only on a cellular data plan, and 77.5% subscribed to cable, fiber or DSL (±3.3 percentage points4).
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) | 98.6% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 77.5% | ±3.3 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 10.0% | ±2.5 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 9.4% | ±2.7 |
The one-year margin is wide, so nearby cities in that ranking may not differ significantly. The 2020–2024 five-year estimate, built on more responses, is close: 9.3% without a subscription (±1.1 percentage points5). The 2019 survey put the share at 13.9% (±3.3 percentage points6); the two estimates' margins overlap, so the data do not establish a decline. Survey households and FCC locations are counted differently, so the comparison shows a gap in kind rather than a number of homes. Households with low incomes can check eligibility for the federal Lifeline discount on the FCC's Lifeline page.
Boone County, which contains Columbia, is compared with every other Missouri county on the Missouri page.
Questions and answers
What internet providers are available in Columbia, Missouri?
Three wired networks cover most of the city: Socket (fiber, 87.7% of locations), Brightspeed (91.8%, fiber and DSL) and Mediacom (cable, 90.0%). Spectrum reports wired service at 15.0%1. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T report fixed wireless home internet, and three satellite companies report service everywhere. FCC data as of June 30, 2026.
Is fiber internet available in Columbia, MO?
At 92.6% of locations as of June 30, 2026, against 69.1% for Missouri and 62.6% for the US. Socket reports fiber at 87.5% of locations and Brightspeed at 67.5%1.
How many internet providers does Columbia have?
14 companies report land-based service somewhere in the city, 8 of them over wires and 7 with fiber. At a single location, 61.1% have three or more wired providers offering 100/20 Mbps and 31.0%1 have exactly two.
Does AT&T offer wired internet in Columbia?
Not in the FCC data as of June 30, 2026. AT&T reports service at 46.2% of Columbia's locations, all of it fixed wireless, with 100/20 Mbps at 7.1%1. It did not report any service in the city in June 2022.
Checking one address in Columbia
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 Missouri
The state picture, county by county: internet in Missouri. Other large cities in the state: Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Independence and Lee's Summit. Compare Columbia 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 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables; 2020-2024; released January 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.