The study from HighSpeedInternet.com conducted three million different independent speed tests, ranking each state based on the best and worst connections across the country. Take a look at the results below, and try not to get too upset if your state is in the bottom ten. Depending on how well you remember your US geography lessons, you might realize that the top five states are all in the D.C.-area, with Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Washington D.C., and Virginia all bordering each other in one way or another. The lower five, on the other hand, are a bit more spread out, with Rhode Island and Massachusetts likely getting a bump from the Boston crowd. Additionally, Colorado, Washington, and California are tech hubs in their own right, which likely helped bump them up the list. This list, unfortunately, has just one trend driving the low speeds: rural America. The inability for rural states to get access to reasonable internet speeds has been well-known for years, with many tech giants and politicians pushing to improve the woeful lack of internet access and subsequent infrastructure. From banking to political action, a poor internet connection has the potential to hinder businesses and individuals alike from succeeding, or even just surviving. As Elizabeth Warren wrote during her presidential campaign: The coronavirus pandemic has made the rural internet connectivity problem much worse too, as millions of Americans are working from home for the first time. Considering video chat services – the main driver of business during the quarantine – typically need a stable connection to function properly, the lack of internet infrastructure in these states is having a detrimental effect on businesses, who need all the help they can get right now. While the impacts of 5G technology won’t be immediately felt in rural areas, that doesn’t mean it’s not worth investing in. The reality of the situation is that 5G has a much better chance of improving internet connectivity in rural areas than the alternative. Given the PR nightmare that 5G technology has experienced over the last few months, only time will tell whether or not people will get on board with the new network, particularly considering how few of them fully understand it. But with internet speeds this slow across the rural areas of this country, we’d say it’s certainly worth a shot.
