NH's access to high-speed Internet on par with national numbers
NH lags behind Mass. and other New England states, according to AP report
A new study published by The Associated Press gives a state-by-state glimpse into the accessibility of high-speed Internet, and shows that New Hampshire is on par with national numbers but lags behind some other states in New England.
The Federal Communications Commission defines high-speed Internet by broadband benchmark speeds of 25 megabits per second for downloads and 3 megabits per second for uploads.
Under these standards, the FCC's study found that 52 million Americans, or 16 percent of the overall population, are without access to high-speed Internet. That number was even higher in rural communities, where 53 percent of the population lacks access.
In New Hampshire, 228,000 people, or 17 percent of the overall population, are without access to high-speed Internet. More specifically, 5 percent of the urban population and 36 percent of the rural population lack access.
High-speed Internet appears to be more accessible in other states across New England, like in Connecticut and Rhode Island where only 1 percent of the overall population is without access, or in Massachusetts where 4 percent of the overall population lacks access.
However, high-speed Internet appears to be less accessible in Maine, where 22 percent of the overall population is without access, and in Vermont, where 80 percent of the overall population lacks access.
Vermont was ranked No. 49 in the country behind Montana.