5 Reasons to Move to a City with High-Speed Internet
In a time where access to the internet is a necessary utility, here are five reasons you should move to a city with high-speed internet.
Looking to make a move? When asking yourself, ‘Where do I want to live?‘, consider high-speed internet availability in the cities that interest you. While you may be preoccupied with other important factors like cost of living, proximity to your family and more, it’s important to add a key element to that list: What are the internet options in the city and neighborhood you’re considering?
Christopher Mitchell, Director of Community Broadband Networks at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, says it’ll still take some time for high-speed internet to be available everywhere, making connectivity something to consider when evaluating a new place to call home.
“I think the vast majority of residents in rural America will have fiber in 10-12 years,” Mitchell says. “However, many cities will still have significant pockets without fiber unless we see major changes in policy.”
That means you’ll also want to find out whether your specific address, especially if you’re buying a new home, has fiber access. Read on for more on why a connected community is the best fit for your needs, plus get ideas for some of the coolest connected communities.
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Remote work from anywhere with high-speed fiber.
Are you one of many employees who work remotely or perhaps work for yourself? High-speed fiber is what you want to stay connected and work with no connectivity interruptions. And you have an ever-expanding list of options for fiber communities, including many more rural areas where you’ll have plenty of room to spread out.
“High-quality Internet access … the network simply allows you to do what you want without waiting or worrying about a monthly bandwidth cap,” Mitchell says. “You will know that whatever you want to do for your job, entertainment, health care, etc. – you can do it without thinking twice.”
It is easier to stay connected to faraway friends and family.
Video chat? FaceTime? Zoom meetings? Do it all on multiple devices simultaneously with high-speed fiber. If you’re moving away from your support network of friends and family, you won’t want subpar connectivity to impact staying in touch in the ways you prefer. One of the many advantages of fiber internet is that you have more stable connectivity during two-way communication, keeping gamers happy in one room while the big 4K sports game streams in another. Plus, you can have a video call with Mom, showing her all the action she’s missing.
You’ll know you’re somewhere that’s future-oriented.
When making a move, you probably want to choose a place that could be a good fit for you for a long time — a place on the upswing.
“Many of the communities with fiber are places that have more forward-thinking, responsible local leaders who are not afraid to make investments or create partnerships,” Mitchell says. “The places without fiber often have been more reluctant to make the investments they need and likely aren’t making other investments that are important to high quality of life.”
Access to quality internet is essentially a utility at this point, and you want a community thinking about bridging the digital divide for all residents.
“Fiber from locally-rooted private companies, cooperatives and other community networks are likely to be the best networks to use,” Mitchell says. “They will invest more to ensure high reliability and offer reasonable prices because they are focused on community needs.”
Entertain yourself at home more easily.
From movies to music to gaming, much of our entertainment today depends on a great internet connection, especially if several members of your family are streaming at once. Leave glitches and buffering behind when your move means access to fiber.
Get ahead of the curve in a Connected Community.
It’s clear that the need for high-speed fiber internet will only continue to advance alongside other technology. Get settled now in a community you know has the proper infrastructure.
“In talking to realtors, people heavily prioritize broadband,” Mitchell says. “When people are moving, many of them are specifically asking for homes that have fiber. We’ll see more and more people who recognize that fiber is what they want.”