Wisconsin internet: one wire for many, gaps in the north
Fiber is available at 55.9% of the 2,306,548 homes and businesses the FCC counts in Wisconsin, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 86.4%. 40.5% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 45.9% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
Midwest region, East North Central division
Wisconsin's fiber share has doubled since 2022, but it still sits below the national figure, and at nearly half of the state's homes and businesses a single wired provider offers 100/20 Mbps service. The locations still without reliable service cluster in the northern forest counties and parts of the southwest.
Spectrum's cable and the networks around it
The FCC's National Broadband Map, with data as of June 30, 2026 (revision of November 10, 2026), counts 2.3 million1 broadband serviceable locations in Wisconsin: houses, apartment buildings and small businesses. "Available" means a provider reports that it can connect a location within ten business days; the listing can be challenged.
Spectrum reports service at 71.3% of those locations, more than any provider other than the satellite networks, and all of it at 100/20 Mbps or faster. At 32.9% of the state's locations it is the only wired provider offering that speed. Most of its network is cable; it also reports fiber at 6.9%1 of locations.
| Spectrum | Fiber Cable | 71.3% | 71.3% | 1 Gbps | 32.9% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Fiber Licensed wireless | 66.6% | 24.4% | 2 Gbps | – |
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 57.4% | 21.0% | 1 Gbps | – |
| AT&T | Fiber DSL Licensed wireless | 48.7% | 19.7% | 5 Gbps | 0.3% |
| Bug Tussel Wireless | Fiber Licensed wireless Fixed wireless | 28.1% | 1.3% | 1 Gbps | 0.4% |
| Bertram Communications | Fiber Licensed wireless Fixed wireless | 23.4% | 23.4% | 8 Gbps | 0.0% |
| TDS | Fiber DSL | 17.7% | 16.0% | 8 Gbps | 1.0% |
| Brightspeed | Fiber DSL Fixed wireless | 12.3% | 2.8% | 8 Gbps | 0.1% |
| Frontier | Fiber DSL | 10.0% | 3.7% | 7 Gbps | 0.1% |
| LiteWire | Fiber Fixed wireless | 5.6% | 5.6% | 1 Gbps | – |
| Nsight Telservices | Fiber DSL Licensed wireless | 5.0% | 0.5% | 1 Gbps | 0.2% |
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.
The largest fiber footprints belong to two telephone companies. TDS reports fiber at 16.0% of locations and AT&T at 15.7%. Wisconsin is TDS's largest state, with 407,291 locations. Brightspeed (12.3% of locations) and Frontier (10.0%) each report more DSL than fiber: Brightspeed's fiber reaches 2.8% of the state's locations and Frontier's 3.7%. Beyond them, 65 companies report fiber somewhere in the state, the 13th highest1 count among the states.
Two regional wireless networks report wide reach but very different speeds. Bug Tussel Wireless covers 28.1% of locations and offers 100/20 Mbps at 1.3%. Bertram Communications covers 23.4% and offers 100/20 Mbps across all of it. T-Mobile and Verizon, whose 5G home internet is licensed fixed wireless, report service at 66.6% and 57.4% of locations, but at 100/20 Mbps only at 24.4% and 21.0%1.
Fiber and gigabit: up sharply, still below the national share
Fiber was reported at 25.6%2 of Wisconsin's locations in June 2022 and at 55.9% four years later, a rise of 30.3 percentage points, against 25.4 percentage points nationally. Having started lower, Wisconsin's share still ranks 14th lowest among the 50 states and DC; nationally fiber reaches 62.6%1.
| State | Fiber available | Gigabit (1,000/100) | 1 Gbps download | Wired 100/20 Mbps | One wired choice | Two or more wired choices | DSL available | Underserved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 55.9% | 55.8% | 85.9% | 86.4% | 45.9% | 40.5% | 49.3% | 5.2% |
| United States | 62.6% | 72.3% | 91.0% | 92.3% | 36.6% | 55.6% | 36.2% | 1.6% |
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.
The widest gap with the national figures is in gigabit service. At 85.9% of locations a provider advertises a 1 Gbps download, yet only 55.8% have an offer of at least 1,000/100 Mbps, a share that ranks 7th lowest among the states. In Wisconsin that gigabit share is almost identical to the fiber share; the difference from the download-only figure is locations where the gigabit download comes with an upload below 100 Mbps. The gigabit share rose by 30.2 percentage points since June 2022, the 5th lowest increase of any state, while the national share rose by 42.9 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 | 25.6% | 52.0% | 55.9% | 30.3 pts |
| Gigabit (1,000/100) | 25.6% | 53.9% | 55.8% | 30.2 pts |
| DSL available | 64.1% | 50.3% | 49.3% | −14.8 pts |
| Underserved | 12.7% | 5.5% | 5.2% | −7.6 pts |
| Two or more wired choices | 21.7% | 37.7% | 40.5% | 18.8 pts |
Multi-gigabit tiers spread over the same period. At 34.9%1 of locations the fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more, up from 7.2%2 in June 2022. All speeds on this page are providers' maximum advertised speeds, not measured performance.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 3.5% | 4.1% | 5.0% | 1.3% | 0.2% | 51.1% | 34.9% |
| United States | 2.4% | 1.6% | 1.8% | 1.4% | 0.9% | 31.0% | 61.0% |
Nearly half the state has one wired choice
Wired service of at least 100/20 Mbps reaches 86.4% of Wisconsin's locations, the 9th lowest share among the states. Where it does, it usually comes from one company: at 45.9% of locations exactly one wired provider offers it, the 11th highest share in the country and well above the national 36.6%. Two or more wired choices exist at 40.5%1, up from 21.7%2 in 2022.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 13.6% | 45.9% | 34.7% | 5.8% |
| Milwaukee County | 2.1% | 28.2% | 69.8% | 0.0% |
| Waukesha County | 3.6% | 66.1% | 27.8% | 2.5% |
| Washington County | 7.6% | 69.0% | 22.2% | 1.3% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
The Milwaukee area shows the pattern inside a single metro. In Milwaukee County, where Spectrum and AT&T are the largest providers, 69.8% of locations have two or more wired choices, the highest share of any Wisconsin county. Next door in Waukesha County, cable reaches 95.5% of locations and wired 100/20 service 96.4%, a share that ranks tied for 7th highest among the state's counties, but fiber reaches only 27.4%, and 66.1%1 of locations have a single wired option. Washington and Ozaukee counties to the north look much the same.
| Area | Locations (BSLs) | Fiber available | Cable available | One wired choice | Two or more wired choices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee County, Wisconsin | 253,348 | 65.7% | 96.9% | 28.2% | 69.8% |
| Waukesha County, Wisconsin | 138,289 | 27.4% | 95.5% | 66.1% | 30.3% |
| Ozaukee County, Wisconsin | 32,315 | 31.0% | 90.3% | 62.2% | 31.6% |
| Washington County, Wisconsin | 48,534 | 28.5% | 83.9% | 69.0% | 23.5% |
| Racine County, Wisconsin | 68,808 | 47.6% | 92.3% | 46.5% | 50.3% |
| Kenosha County, Wisconsin | 57,189 | 69.6% | 93.9% | 27.7% | 68.7% |
| Wisconsin | 2,306,548 | 55.9% | 67.6% | 45.9% | 40.5% |
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.
The three largest cities have more wired competition than the state as a whole. Two or more wired providers are reported at 74.0% of locations in Milwaukee, 72.9% in Madison and 76.0%1 in Green Bay. Every Wisconsin city of 25,000 or more is listed below.
| Milwaukee | 562,407 | 69.5% | 69.5% | 74.0% | 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | 286,233 | 71.6% | 71.6% | 72.9% | 7 |
| Green Bay | 106,675 | 74.4% | 74.4% | 76.0% | 6 |
| Kenosha | 99,239 | 90.3% | 90.3% | 90.4% | 4 |
| Racine | 77,908 | 51.3% | 51.3% | 58.1% | 3 |
| Appleton | 75,452 | 96.9% | 96.9% | 95.3% | 3 |
| Eau Claire | 72,465 | 70.7% | 70.7% | 67.8% | 4 |
| Waukesha | 70,872 | 55.6% | 55.6% | 59.7% | 2 |
| Oshkosh | 67,460 | 50.5% | 50.5% | 53.2% | 4 |
| Janesville | 66,929 | 77.9% | 77.9% | 77.7% | 5 |
| West Allis | 60,119 | 71.5% | 71.5% | 74.7% | 2 |
| La Crosse | 50,784 | 91.3% | 69.3% | 88.7% | 5 |
| Sheboygan | 49,376 | 48.4% | 48.4% | 56.6% | 3 |
| Wauwatosa | 48,649 | 88.4% | 88.4% | 88.8% | 2 |
| Fond du Lac | 44,541 | 62.7% | 62.7% | 65.0% | 3 |
| Brookfield | 41,448 | 47.9% | 47.9% | 50.4% | 3 |
| Menomonee Falls | 41,291 | 38.0% | 38.0% | 41.0% | 2 |
| Wausau | 40,188 | 91.8% | 91.8% | 87.8% | 4 |
| New Berlin | 39,953 | 44.8% | 44.8% | 48.6% | 3 |
| Sun Prairie | 39,227 | 99.5% | 99.4% | 95.8% | 4 |
| Oak Creek | 38,296 | 27.1% | 27.1% | 32.6% | 3 |
| Greenfield | 37,159 | 51.9% | 51.9% | 56.5% | 2 |
| Franklin | 36,687 | 22.7% | 22.7% | 26.9% | 3 |
| Beloit | 36,649 | 33.3% | 33.3% | 39.0% | 4 |
| Manitowoc | 34,671 | 44.1% | 44.1% | 47.0% | 4 |
| Fitchburg | 34,615 | 56.1% | 56.1% | 58.0% | 4 |
| West Bend | 32,268 | 60.9% | 60.9% | 63.4% | 3 |
| Mount Pleasant | 28,253 | 61.0% | 61.1% | 63.2% | 3 |
| Neenah | 27,638 | 77.9% | 77.9% | 77.8% | 3 |
| Superior | 26,397 | 11.0% | 10.7% | 9.7% | 4 |
| Stevens Point | 26,377 | 98.4% | 98.4% | 94.7% | 3 |
| Muskego | 25,602 | 13.6% | 13.6% | 15.7% | 4 |
| De Pere | 25,590 | 74.1% | 74.1% | 75.1% | 4 |
| Caledonia | 25,229 | 27.9% | 27.9% | 32.4% | 3 |
| Mequon | 25,120 | 4.0% | 4.0% | 8.3% | 2 |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates; Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files. Shares of broadband serviceable locations inside city limits (2020 census blocks), as of June 30, 2026. Population: July 1, 2025 estimate. Gigabit: 1,000/100 Mbps.
The underserved middle: copper that stops short of 100/20
Wisconsin has an unusually large group of locations that are not unserved but fall short of 100/20 Mbps. Under the BEAD definitions, 5.2% of locations are underserved, with reliable service of at least 25/3 Mbps but not 100/20, the 4th highest share among the states; nationally the figure is 1.6%. A further 3.4% (78,4391 locations) are unserved.
DSL, the copper telephone-line technology, is still reported at 49.3% of locations, the 14th highest share in the country, though that share fell by 14.8 percentage points between June 2022 and June 2026 while fiber's rose. AT&T, Brightspeed and Frontier all still report DSL across much of their Wisconsin service areas. Where wired 100/20 service is missing, fixed wireless sometimes fills in: at 5.6% of locations (129,4261) the only 100/20 option is a fixed wireless provider.
Northwoods and the southwest
The unserved locations cluster in two areas: the forest counties of the north and parts of the southwest.
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties have larger gaps. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
Washburn County has the highest unserved share, 36.6% of its 13,714 locations. Its largest provider is Brightspeed, reporting fiber and DSL and unlicensed fixed wireless at 64.4% of locations, while wired 100/20 service reaches 42.7%. Douglas County, on Lake Superior, has a similar profile: Brightspeed reports service at 67.9% of locations, DSL is reported at 67.7%, and 23.4%1 are unserved.
Iron County, on the Michigan border, has a different gap. Its largest provider is Bug Tussel Wireless, a licensed fixed wireless network at 58.2% of locations; wired 100/20 service reaches only 25.2%, and at 24.8%1 of locations no wired or fixed wireless provider reports service at all, the highest satellite-only share in the state.
| Area | Locations (BSLs) | Fiber available | DSL available | Wired 100/20 Mbps | Unserved | Satellite only | Fixed wireless only at 100/20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washburn County, Wisconsin | 13,714 | 35.1% | 68.6% | 42.7% | 36.6% | 9.8% | 2.8% |
| Iron County, Wisconsin | 6,263 | 17.6% | 12.5% | 25.2% | 32.1% | 24.8% | 6.7% |
| Douglas County, Wisconsin | 22,297 | 16.5% | 67.7% | 63.7% | 23.4% | 10.0% | 2.4% |
| Lafayette County, Wisconsin | 8,617 | 42.2% | 33.4% | 46.8% | 25.5% | 2.4% | 11.2% |
| Florence County, Wisconsin | 4,952 | 6.4% | 80.6% | 36.2% | 9.2% | 4.0% | 3.4% |
| Menominee County, Wisconsin | 2,409 | 4.7% | 20.0% | 38.2% | 0.2% | 0.1% | 24.8% |
| Vernon County, Wisconsin | 14,950 | 97.6% | 15.0% | 97.7% | 1.5% | 0.4% | 0.2% |
| Wisconsin | 2,306,548 | 55.9% | 49.3% | 86.4% | 3.4% | 1.0% | 5.6% |
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.
The southwest holds both extremes. Vernon County has the highest fiber share of any Wisconsin county, 97.6%, with Vernon Communications, a local fiber network, reporting service at 68.5% of its locations. Lafayette County, on the Illinois border, is unserved at 25.5%, and its largest provider is Bug Tussel Wireless1.
Two small northern counties show how thin choice can be. In Menominee County fiber reaches 4.7% of locations, the lowest share in the state, the share with two wired providers at 100/20 Mbps rounds to 0.0%, and at 24.8% of locations the only 100/20 option is fixed wireless. Florence County, on the Michigan border, is a copper county: DSL is reported at 80.6% of its locations and fiber at 6.4%, up 5.5 percentage points1 since 2022.
Fiber's growth since 2022 was uneven from county to county. Eau Claire County gained +63.0 percentage points, and 7 counties gained 50 points or more, including Kenosha (+62.5 percentage points) and Rock (+53.1 percentage points1).
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. Darker counties are higher. Point at a county for its value; the county table has every figure. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
| Adams County | 18,046 | 90.8% | 93.5% | 8.8% | 1.0% | Marquette Adams Telephone Coop, Inc | 64.7% ±1.4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashland County | 9,171 | 48.6% | 62.2% | 29.5% | 17.3% | Spectrum | 65.5% ±3.1 |
| Barron County | 25,055 | 63.3% | 87.6% | 37.4% | 5.2% | Mosaic Technologies | 68.4% ±1.8 |
| Bayfield County | 13,611 | 72.6% | 84.8% | 4.3% | 1.4% | Norvado | 73.9% ±1.0 |
| Brown County | 90,530 | 67.1% | 92.1% | 62.3% | 0.2% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 77.6% ±0.8 |
| Buffalo County | 7,581 | 79.2% | 89.3% | 4.0% | 1.9% | Nelson Communications Cooperative | 66.5% ±2.4 |
| Burnett County | 15,641 | 77.3% | 80.3% | 3.3% | 8.5% | Siren Telephone Company | 59.3% ±1.9 |
| Calumet County | 20,807 | 49.8% | 81.3% | 45.9% | 0.4% | Spectrum | 76.6% ±1.7 |
| Chippewa County | 28,872 | 66.6% | 90.8% | 36.0% | 1.2% | Spectrum | 71.5% ±1.9 |
| Clark County | 15,971 | 12.3% | 41.6% | 4.3% | 10.8% | Spectrum | 46.8% ±1.7 |
| Columbia County | 25,808 | 44.1% | 78.7% | 16.2% | 6.6% | Spectrum | 66.6% ±1.7 |
| Crawford County | 9,254 | 48.2% | 81.5% | 8.5% | 12.7% | CenturyLink | 61.3% ±1.9 |
| Dane County | 159,454 | 73.2% | 93.2% | 68.7% | 1.1% | Spectrum | 83.4% ±0.7 |
| Dodge County | 35,344 | 26.1% | 86.9% | 5.2% | 2.5% | Spectrum | 66.6% ±1.4 |
| Door County | 23,586 | 22.1% | 53.4% | 7.6% | 5.9% | Nsight Telservices | 62.9% ±2.2 |
| Douglas County | 22,297 | 16.5% | 63.7% | 4.5% | 23.4% | Brightspeed | 67.4% ±1.7 |
| Dunn County | 17,613 | 78.1% | 97.2% | 25.7% | 1.1% | Spectrum | 68.0% ±2.2 |
| Eau Claire County | 37,503 | 68.1% | 96.6% | 52.6% | 0.9% | Spectrum | 74.0% ±1.4 |
| Florence County | 4,952 | 6.4% | 36.2% | 0.5% | 9.2% | Nsight Telservices | 67.6% ±4.0 |
| Fond du Lac County | 40,913 | 51.8% | 92.2% | 38.5% | 0.1% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 69.2% ±1.4 |
| Forest County | 8,555 | 26.5% | 49.3% | 7.3% | 12.2% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 56.4% ±2.5 |
| Grant County | 22,626 | 64.9% | 70.2% | 46.5% | 13.9% | Comelec Internet Services | 63.5% ±1.5 |
| Green County | 16,246 | 48.8% | 60.1% | 40.0% | 6.0% | TDS | 66.8% ±2.2 |
| Green Lake County | 11,443 | 39.0% | 78.4% | 20.4% | 4.8% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 62.4% ±2.1 |
| Iowa County | 11,732 | 45.5% | 59.0% | 34.6% | 16.7% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 60.6% ±2.3 |
| Iron County | 6,263 | 17.6% | 25.2% | 16.8% | 32.1% | Brightspeed | 63.7% ±2.1 |
| Jackson County | 10,443 | 27.4% | 44.4% | 13.9% | 6.7% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 57.0% ±2.3 |
| Jefferson County | 34,335 | 45.8% | 89.0% | 30.6% | 1.0% | Spectrum | 71.4% ±1.8 |
| Juneau County | 15,828 | 86.9% | 90.4% | 36.8% | 4.2% | Lynxx Networks | 60.0% ±1.7 |
| Kenosha County | 57,189 | 69.6% | 96.4% | 68.7% | 0.7% | Spectrum | 80.4% ±1.3 |
| Kewaunee County | 9,993 | 27.2% | 49.6% | 11.9% | 0.2% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 56.3% ±2.6 |
| La Crosse County | 42,226 | 66.7% | 91.0% | 62.0% | 3.5% | Brightspeed | 76.5% ±1.3 |
| Lafayette County | 8,617 | 42.2% | 46.8% | 30.1% | 25.5% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 50.5% ±2.2 |
| Langlade County | 13,192 | 41.6% | 60.4% | 21.6% | 20.8% | Frontier | 58.6% ±3.6 |
| Lincoln County | 16,601 | 35.8% | 61.0% | 19.3% | 22.2% | Spectrum | 58.6% ±2.5 |
| Manitowoc County | 34,657 | 35.3% | 75.0% | 34.9% | 2.5% | AT&T | 67.4% ±1.4 |
| Marathon County | 56,393 | 65.8% | 81.1% | 49.3% | 1.2% | Spectrum | 71.0% ±1.2 |
| Marinette County | 30,371 | 55.8% | 71.2% | 18.1% | 14.3% | Spectrum | 61.5% ±2.3 |
| Marquette County | 10,965 | 77.6% | 90.2% | 10.6% | 2.8% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 66.3% ±2.1 |
| Menominee County | 2,409 | 4.7% | 38.2% | 0.0% | 0.2% | Spectrum | 69.3% ±6.9 |
| Milwaukee County | 253,348 | 65.7% | 97.9% | 69.8% | 0.0% | Spectrum | 76.5% ±0.5 |
| Monroe County | 20,062 | 54.5% | 67.1% | 38.1% | 10.5% | Brightspeed | 67.0% ±2.1 |
| Oconto County | 26,317 | 50.8% | 68.3% | 14.7% | 3.2% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 65.4% ±1.7 |
| Oneida County | 30,484 | 44.1% | 76.4% | 13.4% | 5.9% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 64.3% ±2.6 |
| Outagamie County | 68,895 | 71.9% | 95.0% | 64.0% | 0.8% | Spectrum | 77.0% ±1.1 |
| Ozaukee County | 32,315 | 31.0% | 93.7% | 31.6% | 0.6% | Spectrum | 81.3% ±1.5 |
| Pepin County | 3,918 | 90.3% | 90.6% | 0.9% | 1.2% | Nelson Communications Cooperative | 69.1% ±2.4 |
| Pierce County | 15,922 | 61.1% | 93.7% | 13.5% | 1.4% | Swiftcurrent Connect | 66.8% ±2.2 |
| Polk County | 25,229 | 87.2% | 96.9% | 2.9% | 1.0% | Lakeland Communications Group, LLC dba Lakeland Communications | 66.2% ±0.9 |
| Portage County | 28,246 | 76.2% | 94.0% | 42.3% | 1.3% | Spectrum | 79.2% ±1.4 |
| Price County | 11,111 | 49.7% | 61.2% | 6.3% | 21.7% | Norvado | 64.0% ±2.3 |
| Racine County | 68,808 | 47.6% | 96.8% | 50.3% | 0.2% | Spectrum | 79.1% ±1.1 |
| Richland County | 8,788 | 86.6% | 95.7% | 33.2% | 0.7% | Richland-Grant Telephone Company | 58.6% ±2.8 |
| Rock County | 62,427 | 59.0% | 92.3% | 52.9% | 0.1% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 72.7% ±1.5 |
| Rusk County | 9,845 | 57.5% | 63.9% | 17.5% | 14.7% | Brightspeed | 59.3% ±2.5 |
| Sauk County | 30,274 | 72.4% | 92.8% | 29.5% | 2.0% | Spectrum | 72.5% ±1.7 |
| Sawyer County | 16,777 | 36.9% | 60.9% | 10.0% | 23.0% | CenturyLink | 66.4% ±2.6 |
| Shawano County | 21,658 | 50.1% | 70.3% | 25.1% | 9.9% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 60.5% ±2.0 |
| Sheboygan County | 44,788 | 42.3% | 90.7% | 37.8% | 0.3% | Bertram Communications | 74.0% ±1.2 |
| St. Croix County | 36,522 | 75.3% | 95.2% | 26.7% | 0.5% | Northwest Community Communications | 75.6% ±1.6 |
| Taylor County | 10,273 | 55.5% | 57.3% | 22.9% | 2.6% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 56.5% ±1.9 |
| Trempealeau County | 14,539 | 56.6% | 76.8% | 19.6% | 9.6% | Tri-County Communications Cooperative Inc | 67.1% ±1.7 |
| Vernon County | 14,950 | 97.6% | 97.7% | 39.4% | 1.5% | Vernon Communications | 70.0% ±1.3 |
| Vilas County | 25,913 | 59.9% | 72.5% | 8.3% | 10.5% | Spectrum | 63.2% ±2.3 |
| Walworth County | 46,188 | 38.9% | 93.0% | 27.0% | 1.1% | Spectrum | 72.9% ±1.5 |
| Washburn County | 13,714 | 35.1% | 42.7% | 15.9% | 36.6% | Brightspeed | 60.6% ±1.6 |
| Washington County | 48,534 | 28.5% | 92.4% | 23.5% | 0.5% | Spectrum | 77.7% ±1.3 |
| Waukesha County | 138,289 | 27.4% | 96.4% | 30.3% | 0.2% | Spectrum | 83.7% ±0.6 |
| Waupaca County | 25,879 | 38.4% | 78.6% | 9.9% | 5.2% | Spectrum | 61.3% ±2.0 |
| Waushara County | 16,326 | 55.7% | 69.4% | 17.6% | 1.1% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 57.7% ±1.6 |
| Winnebago County | 62,188 | 58.1% | 93.0% | 54.7% | 0.9% | Spectrum | 76.5% ±1.1 |
| Wood County | 31,928 | 75.2% | 84.2% | 64.0% | 0.2% | Bug Tussel Wireless | 73.6% ±1.6 |
| Wisconsin | 2,306,548 | 55.9% | 86.4% | 40.5% | 3.4% | 74.3% |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables. Shares of broadband serviceable locations as of June 30, 2026 (FCC). 2+ wired choices: two or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps. Unserved: BEAD definition. Largest wired provider: reports fiber, cable or DSL at the most locations. Wired subscription: households with a cable, fiber or DSL subscription, American Community Survey 2020–2024 (± 90% margin of error).
BEAD: one of the largest location counts in the country
Wisconsin's Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) money, $1.06 billion, is only the 16th highest8 allocation among the states, but it stretches far. The approved Final Proposal covers 175,464 locations, the 5th highest count of any state plan, at a BEAD cost of $696.6 million. That works out to $3,970 per location, the 15th lowest among the state plans; providers committed a further $397.5 million9.
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. Locations in the state's approved BEAD Final Proposal by technology of the selected projects, as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview; subject to NTIA and NIST final review and award.
Show the numbers
| Technology | Share of BEAD locations |
|---|---|
| Fiber | 76.0% |
| Cable | 0.0% |
| Fixed wireless | 9.8% |
| Low-Earth-orbit satellite | 14.1% |
| Other | 0.1% |
133,347 locations (76.0%) are assigned to fiber, 24,721 (14.1%) to low-Earth-orbit satellite and 17,204 (9.8%) to fixed wireless. $359.2 million9 of the allocation is not assigned to construction in the plan; its use had not been decided as of November 2026. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin ran the prequalification and award process and publishes the approved Final Proposal and a map of the awards.
Earlier federal programs also paid for construction in the state. The Treasury's Capital Projects Fund allocated $189.4 million10 to Wisconsin, and providers have reported 88,905 locations as built under the FCC's Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and 254,45811 under Connect America Fund Phase II.
| Program | Amount | As of |
|---|---|---|
| BEAD allocation (NTIA, announced June 26, 2023) | $1,055,823,574 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: locations to be connected | 175,464 | |
| BEAD Final Proposal: deployment cost | $696,592,288 | |
| BEAD cost per location | $3,970 | |
| BEAD allocation not assigned to deployment | $359,231,286 | |
| Treasury Capital Projects Fund allocation | $189,354,516 | |
| RDOF: locations built with support (cumulative) | 88,905 | |
| USDA ReConnect grants reported to USAspending | $18,088,212 | |
| Lifeline subscribers claimed | 73,246 | |
| Lifeline participation rate | 19.7% | |
| Households in the Affordable Connectivity Program, February 2024 | 426,733 |
Source: NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs; Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data; Department of the Treasury, spending_by_award API for Assistance Listings 10.752; Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; USAC, Lifeline participation rate; USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024. BEAD figures are as printed in NTIA's Final Proposal overview, subject to final review; "not assigned to deployment" is the allocation minus the deployment cost (NTIA calls it savings; how it may be used is not settled). The ACP stopped taking applications on February 8, 2024 and ended on June 1, 2024.
Subscriptions and income
Availability and subscription are measured differently: the FCC counts locations, the Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts households. In the 2025 survey, 92.7% of Wisconsin households had a broadband subscription of any type (margin of error ±0.3 percentage points), a point estimate that ranks tied for 11th lowest among the states, and 74.9%16 subscribed to cable, fiber or DSL.
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) | 86.4% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 74.9% | ±0.5 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 12.4% | ±0.4 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 7.2% | ±0.3 |
The gap is widest by income. Among households earning under $20,000 a year, 78.4% had a broadband subscription (margin of error ±1.9 percentage points), the 5th lowest rate among the states, against 97.1% of households earning $75,000 or more. Older residents also trail: 87.1% of Wisconsinites 65 and older lived in a household with a computer and a broadband subscription (margin of error ±0.6 percentage points16). The FCC map holds no prices; the federal Lifeline discount and the facts label each provider must publish are the official sources on cost.
Wisconsin internet questions
What internet providers are available in Wisconsin?
Leaving out satellite, the providers with the widest reported reach as of June 30, 2026 are Spectrum (71.3% of locations, fiber and cable), T-Mobile (66.6%, mostly 5G home internet), Verizon (57.4%, licensed fixed wireless) and AT&T (48.7%, fiber and DSL and licensed fixed wireless). The largest fiber footprints belong to TDS (16.0% of locations) and AT&T (15.7%). In all, 801 companies report wired or fixed wireless service somewhere in the state.
How many people in Wisconsin lack broadband?
Wisconsin's larger gap is the underserved: locations with copper or radio service below 100/20 Mbps. In the FCC's count of locations, not people, as of June 30, 2026, 78,439 Wisconsin homes and businesses (3.4%) were unserved under the BEAD definition, without reliable service of even 25/3 Mbps, and 119,697 (5.2%) were underserved, with 25/3 but not 100/20 Mbps. At 23,1281 locations satellite is the only service reported.
Is there low-cost or low-income internet in Wisconsin?
No official source compares Wisconsin prices, and providers file none with the FCC; each plan's price and fees are on the provider's broadband facts label. For low-income households the remaining federal help is Lifeline, $9.25 off a monthly phone or internet bill; USAC estimates that 19.7%14 of eligible Wisconsin households take part. The Affordable Connectivity Program, which had 426,73315 Wisconsin households enrolled in February 2024, ended on June 1, 2024. Each provider's broadband facts label lists its current plans and prices.
Checking one address in Wisconsin
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 and around Wisconsin
Large cities with their own page: Milwaukee, Madison and Green Bay.
Neighboring states: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota. Put Wisconsin side by side with any state or large city in the comparison tool.
| Ranking | Value | Rank (1 = highest) |
|---|---|---|
| Fiber internet availability by state | 55.9% | 38th of 51 |
| Internet speed by state: where gigabit service is offered | 55.8% | 45th of 51 |
| Broadband coverage by state | 86.4% | 43rd of 51 |
| Internet provider competition by state | 40.5% | 42nd of 51 |
| Unserved and underserved broadband locations by state | 3.4% | 19th of 51 |
| Where fiber has grown since 2022 | 30.3% | 21st of 51 |
| 5G home internet and licensed fixed wireless by state | 87.5% | 21st of 51 |
| Households with an internet subscription by state | 92.7% | tied 39th of 51 |
| BEAD broadband funding by state | 3,970.0% | 36th of 50 |
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, Vintage 2025 population estimates; July 1, 2025; released May 14, 2026. www.census.gov
- Census Bureau, 2020 Census Block Assignment Files; released December 11, 2020. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, Cartographic boundary file cb_2025_us_county_5m. www2.census.gov
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year detailed tables; 2020-2024; released January 29, 2026. api.census.gov
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Award Recipients pages; Allocations announced 2023-06-26; released June 26, 2023. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- NTIA BroadbandUSA, BEAD Final Proposal Overview one-page PDFs. broadbandusa.ntia.gov
- Department of the Treasury, Capital Projects Fund Awards Made to States, Territories, and Freely Associated States, to date; Allocations under ARPA sec. 604 (awards announced 2022-06 to 2023). home.treasury.gov
- USAC, CAF Disbursements and Locations Data. opendata.usac.org
- Department of the Treasury, spending_by_award API for Assistance Listings 10.752; Awards with action dates FY2008 to 2026-09-30. api.usaspending.gov
- Universal Service Administrative Co., Lifeline Disbursements; Support months 2018-01 to 2026-09. opendata.usac.org
- USAC, Lifeline participation rate; released August 17, 2026. www.usac.org
- USAC, ACP Enrollments by County as of February 8, 2024; Enrolled households as of 2024-02-08 (Data Month January 2024 file). www.usac.org
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 1-year detailed tables; 2025 (calendar-year sample); released October 29, 2026. 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.