Disconnected: Rural Georgia Lacks High-Speed Internet

The majority of Georgia residents in 31 counties across the state lack access to wired, high speed internet connectivity, according to a new report from the US Census Bureau and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

31 Georgia counties have a low rate of fast internet connections, according to a new Census Bureau Report.Photo byDeanLand

Overwhelmingly, the Georgia counties where wired access remains unavailable are in rural areas, where low population density makes placement of new, high-speed internet carrier lines economically unfeasible. And while residents may have internet access through wireless systems, such connectivity can be unreliable and difficult to use.

Georgia's three most disconnected counties -- Baker, Mitchell and Miller counties -- are clustered in the far Southwest corner of the state. All share a high proportion of agricultural and forest land, are sparsely populated, and residents have lower-than-average incomes within the state.

Baker County was rated as the least connected county in Georgia, according to report data. Only 16% of the county's residents were estimated to have access to high speed wireless access.

While the connectivity rate in neighboring Miller and Mitchell counties was more than double that in Baker, only 33% and 36% of the population in those two counties respectively had high-speed internet connections.

Rounding out the bottom five counties in Georgia with lowest access to high-speed internet connectivity were Warren County, located west of Augusta, and Echols County, located southeast of Valdosta, each with approximately 37% connectivity.

Other bottom-10 Georgia's 10 counties the lowest rate of high speed internet connectivity are Webster, Worth and Glascock counties at approximately 39% connectivity, then Johnson and Hancock counties at approximately 43% high speed connectivity.