December 3, 2026: The State of Broadband in Rural America

Thursday, December 3 | 2:00 PM ET

Rural households are more connected than ever. Nearly 4 in 10 are now online more than 10 hours a day, half of rural subscribers are on 500 Mbps or faster, and two-thirds already use AI tools at home, from chatbots to voice assistants and smart devices. Yet most rural providers still say they’re behind on AI, and only 1% have it built into core systems. In this webinar, we’ll combine two 2026 studies produced by Innovative Systems and Telecompetitor: the Rural Subscriber Study (838 rural consumers) and the Rural Broadband State of AI study (132 rural providers). You’ll see how rural subscribers use broadband and AI, what drives their satisfaction and loyalty, and how 5G and Amazon Leo are entering the conversation. We’ll also look at where providers actually stand with AI, why skills and vendor confidence matter more than budget or data, and how to move from dabbling to a structured approach.

Panelists

• Glenn Paul, Sales Director, Innovative Systems
• Drew Clark (moderator), CEO and Publisher, Broadband Breakfast