View Other Resource Organizations

Missouri Broadband Planning Guide

The Missouri Broadband Access Story Map seeks to show the wide inequity in access to broadband internet across the state of Missouri.

About

There is wide inequity in access to broadband internet across the state of Missouri. Rural areas in particular lack sufficient infrastructure to supply high-speed internet to residents as well as the business community.

More than 1.26 million Missourians do not have access to high speed Internet. Simply put, that’s 20% of the state’s population. According to the Federal Communications Commission, more than 1.04 million of those citizens reside in the rural parts of the state.

People lacking broadband at home are at a major disadvantage in at least one of these five areas:
– Seeking employment
– Accessing health information
– Learning and educational opportunities
– Connecting to news & information
– Obtaining government services

The state of broadband in Missouri effects the 3 grand challenges of economics, health, and education. Continue exploring the tabs to learn about each one.

This layer displays information about household or population internet access based on data from the latest American Community Survey. The ACS defines “access” by assessing whether or not someone in the household uses or can connect to the internet, regardless of whether or not they pay for the service. Households with access to paid internet services are further categorized by service type: cellular data plan; broadband (cable, fiber optic, DSL); satellite; dial-up; and other.