Internet Access in Oklahoma

Oklahoma has the 26th best internet in the USA, falling right in the middle of the rank. Most residents enjoy access to a broadband connection, especially those living in bigger cities. Still, thousands of residents live without any internet connection in more rural and less populated areas. The state-wide download speed currently sits at 66.2 Mbps.

The “digital divide” is a term used to quantify the gulf between people who have reliable access to the internet and those who do not. 57.8% of Oklahoma’s population has access to broadband coverage, which is low. 
Out of that percentage, only 80.7% of residents have access to a wired connection capable of 25 Mbps speeds or more. Currently 635,000 people don’t have entry into such an option.

When it comes to internet expenses, only 52.5% have access to an affordable internet plan. 531,000 people are forced to choose a particular provider, whilst as many as 339,000 have no choice of providers at all where they live.

As Oklahoma rests in the middle ground of internet ranking across the US, there are a number of cities within the state that offer a good combination of internet coverage, pricing, and speeds. The top five best-connected cities are Jenks, Edmond, Owasso, Grove, and Bixby; in that order. In these five towns and cities, all of the residents enjoy affordable plans and the majority have access to wired broadband.

Rufe, Kiamichi Christian Mission, Swink, Loveland, and Picher rank as the worst, since none of them offer access to affordable or fast wired broadband.

The Oklahoma Broadband Mapping Project and the Oklahoma Broadband Initiative were put into place to expand connection and speed across the state. Over the past 10 years, $3,800,00 in federal grants and a further $83 million have been put towards this goal. During this time, access to a 10 Mbps connection for all residents has gone up from 73.9% to 88.8%.