Internet providers in Madison, Wisconsin
Fiber is available at 71.6% of the 62,601 homes and businesses the FCC counts in Madison, and wired broadband of at least 100/20 Mbps at 97.3%. 72.9% of locations have a choice of two or more wired providers at that speed; at 24.4% there is only one.1
FCC National Broadband Map, availability as of June 30, 2026 (data revised November 10, 2026), as reported by providers.
Madison in Wisconsin
Spectrum's cable reaches almost every home and business in Madison, and fiber from AT&T or TDS reaches 71.6%. The fiber share has hardly moved since 2022, but the networks behind it have: two fiber filers from the first FCC map are gone, and two fiber networks now meet at only 0.7%1 of locations. Unlicensed fixed wireless from smaller companies is reported far more widely here than in most large cities.
Spectrum, AT&T, TDS and two local wireless networks
The FCC's National Broadband Map counts 62,601 homes and businesses inside Madison's 2020 city limits, as of June 30, 2026 (file revision November 10, 2026). One wired network reaches nearly all of them: Spectrum reports service at 96.1%, over cable apart from a small fiber footprint (1.0% of locations). AT&T reports service at 78.9%, with fiber at 54.2% and DSL or fixed wireless at much of the rest. TDS reports fiber at 16.8%1.
| Spectrum | Fiber Cable | 96.1% | 96.1% | 1 Gbps | 23.3% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile | Licensed wireless | 87.5% | 41.3% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Verizon | Licensed wireless | 84.9% | 36.9% | 1 Gbps | – |
| LiteWire | Fiber Fixed wireless | 83.7% | 83.7% | 1 Gbps | – |
| AT&T | Fiber DSL Licensed wireless | 78.9% | 58.1% | 5 Gbps | 0.7% |
| TDS | Fiber DSL | 17.4% | 16.8% | 8 Gbps | 0.4% |
| UpNetWI | Fiber Fixed wireless | 3.9% | 0.2% | 600 Mbps | – |
| Bertram Communications | Fixed wireless | 1.1% | 1.1% | 100 Mbps | – |
| Hoyos Consulting LLC | Fiber Fixed wireless | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1 Gbps | – |
| Frontier | Fiber DSL | 0.5% | 0.2% | 7 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, Viasat, Starlink) report service at nearly every location and are left out of the table.
The table also shows what sets Madison apart from most large cities: two smaller fixed wireless companies near the top. LiteWire reports service at 83.7% of locations and Hoyos Consulting LLC, which also files under the Four Lakes Broadband name, at 1.1%1. Both report 100/20 Mbps or more almost everywhere they report service. Satellite from HughesNet, Viasat and Starlink is reported at every location and is left out of the counts of choice on this page.
A provider is listed when it reports that it can install standard service within ten business days. Reports describe the city's networks, not a guarantee at one address, and anyone can challenge them on the FCC National Broadband Map.
Fiber: two networks, different streets
7 companies report fiber somewhere in Madison, tied for 38th highest among the 343 cities of 100,000 or more. AT&T, TDS and Spectrum account for almost all of the 44,809 locations with fiber. Their footprints rarely meet: two or more fiber providers are reported at only 0.7% of locations (452 in all), against 7.2% statewide and 12.1%1 nationally. Nearly every Madison address with fiber has exactly one fiber provider.
Speeds follow the same line. A 1 Gbps download is advertised at 97.1% of locations because Spectrum's cable plans reach that tier, but the gigabit tier with uploads of 100 Mbps or more (1,000/100) is advertised at 71.6%, the same share as fiber. The fastest advertised download is 2 Gbps or more at 54.1% of locations; AT&T lists up to 5 Gbps and TDS up to 8 Gbps1 on fiber. These are advertised maximums reported by providers, not measured speeds.
| Measure | Madison | Wisconsin | United States | Rank among largest cities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiber available | 71.6% | 55.9% | 62.6% | 179th of 343 |
| Two or more fiber networks | 0.7% | 7.2% | 12.1% | 240th of 343 |
| Gigabit (1,000/100) | 71.6% | 55.8% | 72.3% | 266th of 343 |
| 1 Gbps download | 97.1% | 85.9% | 91.0% | 243rd of 343 |
| 2 Gbps or more | 54.1% | 34.9% | 61.0% | – |
Source: FCC, National Broadband Map, data as of June 30, 2026. Rank 1 is the highest value. FCC file revision of November 10, 2026. Shares are of broadband serviceable locations (homes and businesses), not people.
The fiber filers that left the map
The first National Broadband Map, as of June 30, 2022, described a different fiber city. Fiber was reported at 45.0% of locations, close to today's share, and two or more fiber providers at 0.5%2. Much of that came from two filers: the City of Madison and the Metropolitan Unified Fiber Network Consortium, each reporting fiber across a large part of the city. Neither reports service inside the city in the December 31, 2025 or June 30, 2026 data, and the filings do not say why.
Today AT&T's fiber and a newer TDS network carry nearly all of a fiber share that is close to the 2022 figure. TDS reported no service in Madison in June 2022. The result since 2022: fiber up 26.6 percentage points, a change that ranks tied for 118th highest among large cities, while the share with two fiber networks fell by 0.3 percentage points and the share with three or more wired providers at 100/20 Mbps fell from 0.6% to 0.3%. DSL over telephone lines dropped from 73.3%2 to 52.9%1.
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 | 45.0% | 68.0% | 71.6% | 26.6 pts |
| Two or more fiber networks | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.7% | 0.3 pts |
| Three or more wired choices | 0.6% | 0.2% | 0.3% | −0.2 pts |
| DSL available | 73.3% | 53.5% | 52.9% | −20.5 pts |
The last six months moved in the other direction. Fiber rose by 3.6 percentage points from 68.0% on December 31, 2025, and the share where Spectrum is the only wired option at 100/20 Mbps fell from 27.4%3 to 24.4%. Shares, not counts, are compared across releases because the FCC's list of locations changes; Madison's changed by +2,3431 since June 2022.
Wired choice: two for most, one for a quarter
Wired service of 100/20 Mbps or more is reported at 97.3% of locations. At 72.9% there are two or more such wired providers, usually Spectrum and the fiber network on that street, against 40.5% across Wisconsin. Spectrum is the only wired option at that speed at 23.3%. Milwaukee has nearly the same split (74.0% with two or more), Green Bay a little more (76.0%1).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison | 2.7% | 24.4% | 72.6% | 0.3% |
| Milwaukee | 1.9% | 24.1% | 74.0% | 0.0% |
| Green Bay | 2.1% | 21.9% | 45.3% | 30.8% |
| Wisconsin | 13.6% | 45.9% | 34.7% | 5.8% |
| United States | 7.8% | 36.6% | 44.6% | 11.1% |
Only 1,693 locations have no wired provider at 100/20 Mbps, and 411 count as unserved under the BEAD program's definition, with no wired or licensed fixed wireless service at 25/3 Mbps.
Wireless: national carriers and smaller networks
Counting fixed wireless as well as wires, 79.0% of Madison locations have three or more providers at 100/20 Mbps, up from 10.2%2 in June 2022; the Wisconsin figure is 36.9% and the US figure 43.1%1. Two kinds of wireless service account for the difference.
The first is licensed fixed wireless, which includes 5G home internet. T-Mobile and Verizon report it across most of the city, and AT&T at a smaller share. That makes 3 licensed carriers, a count tied for 2nd lowest among large cities. Licensed service at 100/20 Mbps or more is reported at 58.0%1 of locations, up from 15.9%2 in June 2022.
The second is unlicensed fixed wireless, sent from rooftop and tower antennas on shared spectrum. It is reported at 85.9% of Madison locations, the 38th highest share among large cities, up from 6.1%2 in 2022, mostly through LiteWire's expansion. Statewide the share is 29.6%, and in Milwaukee 0.0%1. Wireless capacity is shared by the users on each antenna, so a reported location is not a guaranteed sign-up.
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 | Unlicensed fixed wireless |
|---|---|
| Green Bay | 90.7% |
| Madison | 85.9% |
| Wisconsin | 29.6% |
| United States | 19.7% |
| Milwaukee | 0.0% |
What households subscribe to
The Census Bureau's American Community Survey counts households, not locations. In 2025 it found 82.0% of Madison households with a cable, fiber or DSL subscription (margin of error ±2.1 percentage points), 8.3% relying only on a cellular data plan (margin ±1.4 percentage points) and 6.5% with no internet subscription (margin ±1.4 percentage points4). The 2019 survey put the no-subscription share at 7.3% (margin ±1.2 percentage points5); the margins overlap, so the survey does not show a clear change.
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) | 97.3% | |
| Households subscribing to cable, fiber or DSL (Census) | 82.0% | ±2.1 |
| Households relying only on a cellular data plan | 8.3% | ±1.4 |
| Households with no internet subscription | 6.5% | ±1.4 |
Madison and its population peers
The table compares Madison with the cities closest to it in population, all from the same FCC release.
| Area | Fiber available | Gigabit (1,000/100) | Two or more wired choices | Fiber networks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plano, Texas | 90.7% | 97.0% | 89.1% | 5 |
| Madison, Wisconsin | 71.6% | 71.6% | 72.9% | 7 |
| St. Louis, Missouri | 65.1% | 96.9% | 69.1% | 2 |
| Reno, Nevada | 54.0% | 99.8% | 55.7% | 5 |
| North Las Vegas, Nevada | 44.1% | 97.0% | 25.7% | 3 |
| Chandler, Arizona | 41.1% | 89.3% | 36.3% | 4 |
| Gilbert, Arizona | 38.4% | 96.0% | 36.9% | 5 |
| Anchorage, Alaska | 6.2% | 72.3% | 8.3% | 3 |
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.
Madison lies in Dane County. The Wisconsin page maps every county, and Milwaukee has its own page.
Questions about internet service in Madison
What internet providers are available in Madison, Wisconsin?
As of June 30, 2026, Spectrum reports service at 96.1% of Madison locations, almost all over cable, and AT&T at 78.9% over fiber, DSL and fixed wireless. TDS reports fiber at 16.8%. T-Mobile (87.5%) and Verizon (84.9%) report fixed wireless home internet, and two smaller wireless companies, LiteWire and Hoyos Consulting, report service at 83.7% and 1.1%1.
Does Madison have fiber internet?
At 71.6% of homes and businesses, as of June 30, 2026, against 55.9% across Wisconsin and 62.6% nationally. AT&T reports fiber at 54.2% of locations and TDS at 16.8%1; the two rarely overlap.
How many internet providers are there in Madison?
7 companies report wired service somewhere in the city and 10 report wired or fixed wireless service. At a single location the usual number of wired providers offering 100/20 Mbps is two: that is the case at 72.6% of locations, while 24.4%1 have one.
Is 5G home internet available in Madison?
T-Mobile reports fixed wireless home internet at 87.5% of locations and Verizon at 84.9%, with 100/20 Mbps or more at 41.3% and 36.9%1. Carriers decide eligibility address by address because tower capacity is shared.
Checking one address in Madison
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 Wisconsin
The state picture, county by county: internet in Wisconsin. Other large cities in the state: Milwaukee and Green Bay. Compare Madison 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.