Connecticut has made significant progress toward its broadband goals, with access to gigabit-speed internet rising from 38 percent of locations in 2022 to nearly 87 percent by the end of 2024, a new report shows.
The 2024 Connecticut Broadband Report authored by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the Commission for Educational Technology, the Office of Consumer Counsel, and the Office of Policy and Management, depicts a marked increase toward meeting the state’s goal of ensuring broadband internet speeds of 1 gigabit per second download and 100 megabits per second upload for all residents.
Compared to 2022, homes with access to basic broadband speeds dropped from 1.7 percent to 0.4 percent, and nearly 850,000 locations across the state had equal access to gigabit broadband. Only 13 percent of the state has yet to meet the broadband goal compared to 62 percent in 2022.
“Expanding broadband has been a team effort, and I’m proud of the progress we are making together,” Ned Lamont, governor of Connecticut, said in a statement. “Still, our mission isn’t complete. We’ll keep working with communities, businesses, and local leaders to guarantee that everyone in Connecticut, no matter where they live, can benefit from the opportunities high-speed internet provides.
“As technology evolves, so must we. Ensuring every resident can access fast, reliable broadband will remain at the heart of our efforts moving forward,” he continued.
Affordability remains one of the state’s greatest hurdles in meeting its goal, especially in low-income and underserved communities, the report explains.
Though the state has made progress in increasing broadband subscription rates – with 92.2 percent subscribed to broadband service statewide – more work needs to be done to improve digital equity, which the Department of Administrative Services’ Commission for Education Technology said it plans to do through its five-year strategic roadmap.
The plan focuses on addressing current levels of digital access, device availability, skills, and support needs across different communities in the state to assess the existing digital equity landscape. By creating an inventory of existing resources to support digital inclusion, identifying gaps in access and skills, and fostering collaboration among stakeholders – such as educators, policymakers, and community organizations – the state aims to address broadband access problems.
The report also noted that the five-year plan includes “key projects” which it said, pending funding approval, will help to “drive Connecticut’s efforts to build an inclusive digital environment.”
Potential projects include creating an asset map to visually identify and categorize community resources, creating education programs to equip learners with essential digital skills and knowledge, and launching short-term pilots to test and evaluate new strategies for addressing digital inequities.
Other successes Connecticut has found in addressing high costs and historically low market competition include dedicating $28 million in grants to improve broadband access in over 3,000 locations and dropping the number of locations with only one internet provider by 60 percent.
“Under Governor Lamont’s leadership we are using these historic levels of federal funds for broadband to make Connecticut one of the most connected states in the country,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said in a statement. “We are well on our way to closing the broadband access divide once and for all.”
