Internet Service in Rhode Island

Rhode Island might be the smallest state in the U.S., but when it comes to internet access, it's a big player. The 8 internet providers in this tiny New England state provide fiber connections to a whopping 98 percent of residents, making Rhode Island 1st in the country for fiber coverage. Little Rhody is also 1st in the U.S. for cable coverage, but it's not at the top of every metric. DSL coverage only reaches 89 percent of Rhode Islanders, and the average download speed in Rhode Island is 45.36 Mbps, far from the best in the nation. Still, web surfers will find the Ocean State has a lot to offer, whether you're gaming, browsing the internet, or streaming TV.

The old-money mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, are world-famous for their outsized extravagance. You might think these homes served as a reference for the monthly prices charged by Rhode Island's internet providers. With an average price per month of $75.87, Rhode Island is 37th in the U.S. for initial monthly price. However, these prices look more reasonable when you consider that the average price per Mbps in Rhode Island is $0.40, below the national average, and 10th in the U.S. All that fiber-optic coverage really pays off!

Warwick, Rhode Island's 3rd-largest city, holds the title of the state's fastest internet, where the fastest most available download speed goes up to 300 Mbps and most available upload speeds reach up to 30 Mbps. Providence, Rhode Island's capital, really lives up to its name with 23 internet providers, the most in the state. The runner-up for internet availability, Warwick gets double honors with 18 internet providers. For such a small state, Rhode Island packs a big punch when it comes to internet. To see how hard its virtual wallop hits across the state, take a spin through the data, graphs, and tools our experts put together below.