Misleading data from internet service providers is cutting Iowa off from billions in broadband subsidies. Other states could be missing out, too. A New Food Economy investigation.

Like everyone else, rural Americans need broadband. They rely on their internet connections for many of the same reasons urban Americans do: to find doctors and look for jobs, pay bills and do homework, get the news and watch movies. But outside of cities, where great distances separate residents from social services, employers, and neighbors, reliable broadband not only keeps rural Americans apace with the modern world—it’s a critical economic lifeline.

The United States government recognizes that the need is dire. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the federal agency primarily charged with expanding internet coverage, has committed over $9 billion to getting rural America online. In February, it released a national broadband map, purporting to show which parts of the country had access to fixed, or non-mobile, high-speed internet. The goal of the map is to inform policies and target subsidies as the government extends broadband to over 11.5 million American who still lack access.

A closer look, however, suggests that the map is based on misleading data. A New Food Economy analysis of internet speed tests in some rural counties shows connections well below what FCC is claiming, which means the number of Americans without broadband could actually be much higher than reported.