What it means to be internet insecure, and why it matters for rural America

Washington, D.C. (October 24, 2025) – Connected Nation (CN) recently released a report surveying rural homes about their broadband service and found a significant number of them are what’s considered “internet insecure.” That means these households reported experiencing a gap in their home internet situation in the past year. 

RDF-TV recently interviewed CN’s Chris McGovern, Director of Research Development, about the newly published study on facing internet insecurity head-on.

“We talked to about 2,600 rural households across a few states, and we learned that about a third of them are facing internet insecurity,” he said.

McGovern went on to describe what households were more likely to be internet insecure, and how that effects people’s lives.

“They faced a lot of challenges,” he said.

McGovern also discussed the benefits the internet provides and how communities can tackle internet insecurity by not only getting people connected, but keeping them connected.

To watch the interview, click here.