Worst Internet Wi-Fi Dead Zones in U.S. Cities (2025)

Remote work, streaming, gaming, and online schooling have made reliable internet a daily necessity. Yet in 2025, many neighborhoods across the U.S. still suffer from poor Wi-Fi performance, frequent outages, or no broadband access at all. These "internet dead zones" aren’t just in rural areas—they exist in urban apartment complexes, growing suburbs, and even tech-centric cities. This report highlights the worst places for internet connectivity in America and explains why these digital deserts persist.

Top 10 Worst Internet Dead Zones in the U.S.

Based on FCC data, Reddit complaints, speed test results, and user-submitted experiences:

Venice Beach, CA
Beautiful coastline, but aging infrastructure. Residents report frequent outages and inconsistent speeds from Xfinity and AT&T.
Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY
Many buildings lack access to Verizon Fios, leaving residents with slow DSL or expensive, unreliable options.
Hyde Park, Chicago, IL
Despite proximity to major universities, internet infrastructure lags. Spectrum and AT&T users report repeated slowdowns.
Oakland Hills, CA
Hilly terrain and limited fiber coverage make internet access spotty. Frontier customers suffer frequent dropouts.
East Austin, TX
Fast-growing area with demand outpacing infrastructure. Many zones lack fiber and suffer from congestion.
East Cleveland, OH
Residents are often stuck with legacy DSL. Few providers offer high-speed upgrades.
South San Antonio, TX
Limited provider options and low competition lead to poor service reliability.
South Bronx, NY
Spotty Fios deployment and lack of ISP investment hinder connectivity.
Detroit's West Side, MI
Redlining of services persists—many areas underserved or forgotten by ISPs.
Kaneohe, HI
Island geography and older networks leave many users with limited speeds and frequent service disruptions.

Why Internet Dead Zones Still Exist

Lack of Fiber Investment: ISPs often avoid upgrading areas seen as low-profit, including low-income neighborhoods and complex multi-dwelling units.
Outdated Infrastructure: Many buildings and regions still rely on DSL or coaxial cables that can't handle modern bandwidth demands.
ISP Monopolies: Without competition, ISPs lack incentive to improve service or pricing.
Geographic Barriers: Hills, dense tree coverage, and high-rise buildings interfere with signal quality and delay infrastructure rollouts.

Most Common Complaints by ISP

Xfinity

"I'm paying for 800 Mbps and getting 50." — Glendale, AZ. Frequent complaints in high-density housing, older buildings, and areas without fiber.

AT&T

"AT&T still hasn't upgraded my neighborhood from 10 Mbps DSL." — Suburban Atlanta. Some areas stuck with legacy copper lines, especially in Southern states.

Spectrum

Users in Florida and Texas report daily outages and unreliable speeds during peak hours. Infrastructure struggles to keep up with suburban growth.

Frontier / Verizon

Limited fiber rollouts leave users dependent on outdated DSL. Complaints rise in California and parts of the Northeast.

How to Check If You're in an Internet Dead Zone

How to Improve Your Coverage

Upgrade Equipment: Use a Wi-Fi 6 or 6E router.
Install a Mesh Network: Great for large homes or multi-story buildings.
Switch ISPs: If multiple are available, compare them by performance—not just price.
Talk to Your Landlord: Landlords can negotiate bulk fiber deals with providers.

Submit a Dead Zone

Know a neighborhood where internet is terrible? Help others by submitting your ZIP code, provider, and details about the issue. The Deadzones.com interactive map will grow from your reports, shining light on the most neglected areas in America.

Submit a Dead Zone Here

Stay tuned for monthly updates and expanded reports, including city-by-city breakdowns of the worst internet in the U.S.

AT&T Mobility CJ Affiliate: New Terms Block Top Earners

AT&T Mobility’s CJ Affiliate Program: Why the New Terms Are Impossible to Accept and What It Means for Website Publishers

If you’re a website owner or affiliate marketer working with AT&T Mobility’s CJ Affiliate program, you may have recently noticed troubling updates to their terms and conditions. Many affiliates are finding it impossible to accept the new terms, raising concerns that these changes could be a deliberate strategy to exclude high-performing publishers who have been generating significant revenue for AT&T. Could this be a scam designed to avoid paying affiliates what they’ve earned? Here’s what you need to know.

What is the AT&T Mobility CJ Affiliate Program?

AT&T Mobility uses CJ Affiliate (formerly Commission Junction), one of the largest affiliate marketing networks, to partner with websites that promote AT&T products and services. Through this program, affiliates earn commissions by driving sales or leads via their online content. For many websites, this has been a lucrative source of steady income.

The New Terms: Why They’re Causing an Uproar

Recently, AT&T Mobility updated its CJ Affiliate program terms, requiring affiliates to accept a set of new conditions. However, many website owners report that these new terms are impossible to accept due to technical glitches, unclear language, or provisions that unfairly restrict affiliates’ rights. Complaints include:

Unable to finalize acceptance in the CJ Affiliate dashboard
Ambiguous or contradictory clauses limiting promotional methods
New fees or commission changes without clear explanation
Restrictive compliance rules that make earning commissions nearly impossible

As a result, affiliates who have been active and profitable are suddenly blocked from participating, cutting off their commission payments.

Is This a Scam to Push Out High Earners?

Many affected affiliates suspect this is more than just a technical issue or policy update. Instead, it looks like a deliberate tactic to kick out top-performing websites that have generated substantial revenue for AT&T Mobility over time. By imposing impossible-to-accept terms, the company may be:

Reducing affiliate payouts by disqualifying sites before commissions are paid
Limiting the number of affiliates to lower overall marketing costs
Avoiding transparency by not openly communicating the reasons behind the changes

This approach, if true, is highly controversial and risks damaging AT&T’s reputation among online marketers.

What Should Affiliates Do?

If you’re an affiliate facing this issue, here are some steps to consider:

Document everything: Keep screenshots and records of your attempts to accept the new terms and any communications with CJ Affiliate support.
Contact CJ Affiliate support: Report the technical or acceptance issues directly to seek clarification or resolution.
Reach out to AT&T Mobility: Try to connect with their affiliate management team to express concerns.
Seek legal advice: If you believe commissions are being withheld unfairly, a legal review may be necessary.
Consider alternative affiliate programs: Diversify to avoid reliance on one platform that may change terms unpredictably.

Conclusion: Proceed with Caution

The recent changes in AT&T Mobility’s CJ Affiliate program and the difficulties in accepting new terms raise serious questions about the company’s intentions. Whether a scam or poor policy execution, this development threatens to cut off income streams for many affiliate marketers who have helped AT&T grow online sales.

If you’re part of the program, stay informed, advocate for transparency, and prepare for alternatives. Affiliate marketing should be a win-win relationship, not one where publishers get unfairly shut out after years of delivering value.

Please comment below if you have had similar issues.

Here is an update: How to accept the new terms is not easy.

Accepting the new terms is not easy. You must first click on the attachment and then browse all the way to the bottom. It won't be in your browser's view, and you have to expand it to see the ACCEPT box. It took about 5 emails with their support to find this, and I still think this is a suspicious way to kick publishers out who can't figure it out as well.

Cellcom Outage Update: How to Stay Connected

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How Cellular Communication Works and What It's All About

Arthur Charles Clarke, a science popularizer and futurist, once said that advanced technology is just indistinguishable from magic. Yet once it takes root in our lives, it becomes as commonplace as morning coffee.

And you know what?

Why AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobile Charge for WhatsApp Int'l Calls

Customers of major U.S. carriers, including T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon, have recently reported unexpected charges for WhatsApp international calls, raising concerns and questions about the practice. While WhatsApp typically uses internet data to make calls, some users are seeing these calls treated as standard international calls, with charges of $50 or more for a single call — a practice some describe as a scam. This can occur if the call is inadvertently routed through a cellular network rather than strictly over Wi-Fi or mobile data.

Why U.S. Carriers Charge for WhatsApp International Calls

VoIP Calls Misclassified as Cellular Calls: In some cases, WhatsApp calls may be interpreted as regular phone calls if the network connection is unstable or if the call switches to a cellular network.
Data Roaming and International Charges: If a WhatsApp call is made while roaming internationally, carriers may apply data roaming charges, which can add up quickly.
Network Switching: When moving between Wi-Fi and cellular networks during a call, the call may register as a standard international call.

How to Avoid Charges for WhatsApp International Calls

Use Wi-Fi Exclusively: Ensure you are connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network before making a call.
Disable Cellular Data for WhatsApp: In your phone’s settings, restrict WhatsApp to Wi-Fi only.
Check Your Billing Statement: Review your carrier's bill for any unexpected charges and contact customer service if needed.

What to Do if You’re Charged

Contact your carrier’s customer support to clarify the charges.
Request a refund or adjustment if the call was mistakenly billed as an international call.
Monitor future usage to ensure calls are properly routed through data-only connections.

Reporting Unfair Charges to the FCC or FTC

If you believe you were unfairly charged or misled about WhatsApp international call charges, you can file a complaint with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) or the FTC (Federal Trade Commission). Both agencies handle consumer complaints related to telecommunications and deceptive business practices. Document the charges, keep records of communications with your carrier, and include all relevant details when submitting a complaint.

Understanding why major U.S. carriers charge for WhatsApp international calls can help users avoid unnecessary fees and stay connected without unexpected costs.

Will Starlink Allow Phone Calls from Airplanes?

As Starlink expands satellite internet to airplanes, will passengers be able to make phone calls onboard? Learn about the regulatory landscape and potential implications.

If your Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connection keeps crashing in the same parts of Boston, you're not alone. Drivers across the city report frustrating signal failures and GPS dropouts — especially in areas near the Charles River, Harvard's athletic fields, and Fenway.