Iowa is 45th for internet connectivity, Axne says

After Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Nov. 5, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne, D-Iowa, wrote in a tweet that her vote for the bill would change Iowa’s ranking as 45th in the nation for internet connectivity.

The bill includes a $550 billion package to fund transportation, broadband and utilities across the country. Specifically, $65 billion is to be spent expanding internet connectivity. At minimum, $100 million is to go to each state, while $42 billion is to be spent on underserved areas. 

Axne tweeted after the House vote:

"Iowa ranks 45th in the U.S. for internet connectivity. Yesterday, I voted to change that forever – by sending the largest rural broadband investment in history to the President’s desk. #IA03"

Saying Iowa ranks poorly for internet connectivity can be used as a political tool to explain a "yes" vote on the bipartisan but also controversial infrastructure bill. But, the statistic also can be used to push points about political opponents who voted "no," which Democrats are doing to Republicans who opposed the bill. All of Iowa’s Republicans in Congress voted "no" except for Sen. Chuck Grassley, who voted "yes" when the Senate approved the bill in August.

Ian Mariani, communications director for Axne, wrote in an email to PolitiFact that the tweet was referencing a report by BroadbandNow.com. The website reports Iowa’s average state-wide speed as 74.3 megabits per second. Only 18.5 percent of Iowa’s residents have low-price plan access. The website ranks Iowa as 45th in the U.S., for state broadband access, the report said.

BroadbandNow.com pulls its data from the Federal Communications Commissions and the U.S. Census Bureau. Axne used the source because it ranks states specifically, Mariani said in a phone interview with PolitiFact.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds also mentioned Iowa ranking 45th in the nation when introducing her plan to increase broadband access in her second term as governor. She said Iowa also has the second slowest internet in the U.S. and cited BroadbandNow.com in a post on her website. 

Reynolds announced her commitment to the expansion of broadband in Iowa at her January 2021 Condition of the State Address. 

All six Iowans who make up the state’s Washington delegation, including the four voting no on the infrastructure bill, have said they support broadband expansion. 

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, wrote in an Iowa Torch article in May that she supports and wants to move forward with broadband initiatives.

Featured Fact-check

Iowa Senate Democrats

stated on January 5, 2022 in a statement on Facebook

Gov. Kim Reynolds, touting $210 million for Iowa broadband, “failed to mention these are actually federal funds approved by Rep. Cindy Axne and signed into law by President Joe Biden.”

Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, joined the Congressional Rural Broadband Caucus in February to call for internet expansion across the country. His first action in the caucus was to help write a letter to President Joe Biden advocating for broadband expansion.

Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, called on her campaign website for expanded internet connectivity, especially in rural America. And, both Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, have worked with other members of Congress to advocate for broadband in the past year. 

The U.S. Census Bureau reported between 2015 and 2019, 80.8% percent of Iowa households had broadband internet subscriptions. Sixteen states had a smaller percentage of its households with subscriptions, including Missouri, Indiana, and North and South Dakota. 

The FCC reported nearly one-fourth of the population in rural America lacks access to broadband service. Across the country, 14.5 million people are impacted.

Axne tweeted, claiming Iowa was the 45th state in the country for internet connectivity. 

Various sources confirm Iowa falls behind other states, including BroadbandNow.com ranking the state as 45th for state broadband access in comparison to the rest of the United States. 

Axne’s claim of Iowa’s U.S. ranking for broadband connectivity is confirmed through reliable sources, so we rate it True.