Des Moines, Iowa Internet Outage Today
Live Des Moines internet outage reports and how households here get online.
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No internet outage reports in Des Moines, Iowa in the last 24 hours
The most recent internet outage report from Des Moines came in 7 days ago. Over the past 90 days, Des Moines residents filed 4 internet outage reports here on 4 separate days; the busiest was October 16, with 1.
Internet access in Des Moines
15.7% of Des Moines households are online only through a cell plan, well above the 11.5% national share, so mobile outages hit home internet here harder than usual.
7 home internet providers reach at least 5% of the city's 105,014 homes. Satellite service is excluded. Source: FCC National Broadband Map, December 2025 data.
- Broadband subscription: 89.8% of 90,105 households (Iowa 88.9%, US 91%). Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table S2801)
- Fiber to the home: available at 82.3% of 105,014 homes (US 55.9%). Gigabit plans: 99.5%. Cable: 99.2%.
- Home internet providers filing coverage here: Mediacom (99% of homes), CenturyLink / Quantum Fiber (94% of homes), AT&T (63% of homes), Metronet (61% of homes), Google Fiber (42% of homes). 5G home or mobile coverage: 99.7% of the city area. Source: FCC National Broadband Map, Dec 2025 data
- Rank: 2nd of 4 Iowa cities we track (Cedar Rapids highest at 91.2%, Sioux City lowest at 86.9%).
- Cable, fiber or DSL: 69.9%. Cellular data only: 15.7% (US 11.5%). Satellite: 6%. An unusually large share of homes here depend on a mobile carrier for home internet.
- No internet subscription: 9.9%. No computer or smartphone: 4%. Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table S2801)
- Grid reliability, 2024: MidAmerican Energy customers averaged 219 minutes without power. Source: EIA Form 861, 2024 reliability data
- Polk County storm record since 2015: 775 reports; power outages named in 11 episodes. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
Source: Census ACS 2020–2024.
Source: FCC National Broadband Map, December 2025 data.
Des Moines is 4th of 6 nearby cities on this measure. Source: Census ACS 2020–2024.
| City | Widest wired provider | Fiber | Gigabit plans | No internet subscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines, IA | Mediacom (99%) | 82.3% | 99.5% | 9.9% |
| Cedar Rapids, IA | Mediacom (99%) | 34.2% | 99.5% | 8.7% |
| Omaha, NE | Cox (92%) | 75.4% | 86.5% | 8.4% |
| Sioux City, IA | Sparklight (98%) | 77.1% | 76.7% | 12.9% |
| Davenport, IA | Mediacom (99%) | 87.4% | 86.2% | 10% |
Source: FCC National Broadband Map, December 2025 data; Census ACS 2020–2024.
Checked September 2026.
Internet providers in Des Moines
Share of Des Moines homes each provider reported it can serve, in FCC filings for December 2025: Mediacom (99%), CenturyLink / Quantum Fiber (94%), Verizon (70%), AT&T (63%), and Metronet (61%). Check your own address on the FCC National Broadband Map. If the lights are out too, see Des Moines power outages.
Router checks: internet outage guide. Nationwide: US internet outages.
Who to check first in Des Moines
The providers with the widest reported coverage in Des Moines. Start with the one on your bill.
Mediacom in Des Moines
Reach: reports service to 99% of Des Moines homes. Network: Cable, run by Mediacom.
Where to check: Sign in to the MediacomConnect app or mediacomcable.com for outage notices.
Support: 855-633-4226
CenturyLink / Quantum Fiber in Des Moines
Reach: reports service to 94% of Des Moines homes. Network: DSL and fiber (Quantum Fiber), run by Lumen.
Where to check: Sign in to the CenturyLink app or centurylink.com to check for a service outage at your address.
AT&T in Des Moines
Reach: reports service to 63% of Des Moines homes. Network: Fiber, DSL/IPBB and AT&T Internet Air (fixed wireless), run by AT&T.
Where to check: Use AT&T's outage check in the Smart Home Manager app or on att.com after signing in.
Support: 800-288-2020
Backup internet options in Des Moines
Mediacom (99% of homes) and CenturyLink / Quantum Fiber (94%) each report service to more than half of Des Moines homes. At an address that can get both, they run on separate lines.
Home 5G and fixed-wireless plans from Verizon (70%) and T-Mobile Home Internet (58%) report coverage of Des Moines homes (Verizon’s figure combines Fios fiber and 5G Home). They run over cell towers rather than cable or fiber, so they can work when a wired network is down. Cell coverage by area is 100% for 4G LTE and 99.7% for 5G.
About 15.7% of Des Moines households, roughly 14,100 homes, get online only through a cell plan. For them a mobile outage is an internet outage.
Fiber networks in Des Moines
Besides the statewide providers, Des Moines has fiber service that most cities do not:
- Google Fiber. Google Fiber sells fiber internet in parts of Des Moines. Its service status and outage notices are in the Google Fiber app and at fiber.google.com, and it does not share equipment with the cable or phone company.
A fiber network runs on separate lines, so an outage on one provider in Des Moines does not mean the others are down.
Power and weather behind internet outages in Des Moines
MidAmerican Energy customers averaged 219 minutes without power in 2024, across 1.27 interruptions each, against 167 minutes for Iowa as a whole. Cable nodes and fiber cabinets run on batteries that last hours, not days, so a long power cut can take internet down even for homes whose own power has returned. See Des Moines power outages when both go out together.
Polk County logged 775 storm reports since 2015, most often heavy rain, thunderstorm wind, and hail. Reports peak in June. Power outages were named in 11 of those storm episodes. Wind, ice and flooding damage poles and buried lines, which is how a storm turns into an internet outage as well as a power outage.
Fiber reports reach 82.3% of Des Moines homes, cable 99.2% and copper lines 64.3%. Where fiber runs to the home, a red or blinking LOS light on the optical terminal points to a line problem that a restart will not fix.
Des Moines internet outage questions
Does a cell network outage take down home internet in Des Moines?
For the 15.7% of Des Moines households that rely only on a mobile data plan, yes. The 69.9% with cable, fiber or DSL are not affected.
What can I use for internet in Des Moines when my provider is down?
A phone hotspot: 4G LTE covers 100% of Des Moines by area and 5G 99.7%. Home 5G plans: Verizon (70%) and T-Mobile Home Internet (58%). Where both Mediacom and CenturyLink / Quantum Fiber are available, the second wired line is a backup.
Can a power outage take internet down in Des Moines?
Yes, a long power cut can. MidAmerican Energy customers averaged 219 minutes without power in 2024. NOAA records name power outages in 11 storm episodes in Polk County since 2015.
Is fiber or gigabit internet available in Des Moines?
Fiber is reported at 82.3% of Des Moines homes (US 55.9%, Iowa 73%), and plans of 1 Gbps or faster at 99.5% (US 69.2%).
How many Des Moines households have no home internet?
About 8,900 of 90,105 households, or 9.9%, have no internet subscription of any kind, and another 15.7% rely only on a cell plan (Census ACS 2020–2024).
Which internet provider covers the most homes in Des Moines?
Mediacom, at 99% of homes in its FCC filing. Fiber reaches 82.3% of Des Moines homes and gigabit plans 99.5%.
ISP outage status for Des Moines
Recent internet reports in Des Moines
- Internet reports in Des Moines, last 24h
- 0
- Most recent internet report here
- 7 days ago
- Internet reports across Iowa, last 24h
- 0
- City population
- 214,237
Other outage types in Des Moines
Internet Outages in cities near Des Moines
- Cedar Rapids, IA 105 mi
- Iowa City, IA 107 mi
- Omaha, NE 123 mi
- Bellevue, NE 123 mi
- Sioux City, IA 156 mi
- Davenport, IA 157 mi
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works
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