The majority of Americans live in and around big cities, according to the US census, and in nearly all these metro areas, internet access is fast enough for casual browsing and costs about as much as other utilities. Some cities and municipalities have multiple high-speed options like fiber and cable internet, but other regions lack access to even the lowest-speed broadband.
This story is part of Crossing the Broadband Divide, CNET’s coverage of how the country is working toward making broadband access universal.
By one government agency’s estimate, 7.2 million Americans lack high-speed internet access. Many more Americans are stuck with speeds that would have seemed slow decades ago. They’re trapped in what’s called the “digital divide,” where access is limited by infrastructure, affordability or other circumstances that cut them off from online services that most Americans…
