Charleston, West Virginia Internet Outage Today
Live Charleston internet outage reports and how households here get online.
Weather data by Open-Meteo.com
No internet outage reports in Charleston, West Virginia in the last 24 hours
The most recent internet outage report from Charleston came in on September 9, 2026.
Internet access in Charleston
90.7% of Charleston households have broadband, against 91% nationally.
5 home internet providers reach at least 5% of the city's 28,214 homes. Satellite service is excluded. Source: FCC National Broadband Map, December 2025 data.
- Broadband subscription: 90.7% of 21,116 households (West Virginia 86.1%, US 91%). Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table S2801)
- Fiber to the home: available at 51.1% of 28,214 homes (US 55.9%). Gigabit plans: 51.7%. Cable: 87.7%.
- Home internet providers filing coverage here: Optimum (88% of homes), AT&T (55% of homes), Frontier (54% of homes). 5G home or mobile coverage: 86.5% of the city area. Source: FCC National Broadband Map, Dec 2025 data
- Rank: highest of 5 West Virginia cities we track (lowest: Huntington, 84.5%).
- Cable, fiber or DSL: 75.9%. Cellular data only: 12.6% (US 11.5%).
- No internet subscription: 9.3%. No computer or smartphone: 4.9%. Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 (table S2801)
- Grid reliability, 2024: Appalachian Power customers averaged 1,832 minutes without power. Outages that long outlast the batteries in street-side cable and fiber cabinets. Source: EIA Form 861, 2024 reliability data
- Kanawha County storm record since 2015: 492 reports; power outages named in 51 episodes. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database
Source: Census ACS 2020–2024.
Source: FCC National Broadband Map, December 2025 data.
Charleston is 1st of 6 nearby cities on this measure. Source: Census ACS 2020–2024.
| City | Widest wired provider | Fiber | Gigabit plans | No internet subscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston, WV | Optimum (88%) | 51.1% | 51.7% | 9.3% |
| Huntington, WV | Xfinity (100%) | 59.7% | 72% | 15.4% |
| Parkersburg, WV | Optimum (87%) | 76.1% | 85.6% | 13.9% |
| Roanoke, VA | Cox (91%) | 70.4% | 85.2% | 14.1% |
| Morgantown, WV | Xfinity (98%) | 70.1% | 96.4% | 9.3% |
Source: FCC National Broadband Map, December 2025 data; Census ACS 2020–2024.
Checked September 2026.
Internet providers in Charleston
Share of Charleston homes each provider reported it can serve, in FCC filings for December 2025: Optimum (88%), T-Mobile Home Internet (67%), Verizon (64%), AT&T (55%), and Frontier (54%). Check your own address on the FCC National Broadband Map. If the lights are out too, see Charleston power outages.
Router checks: internet outage guide. Nationwide: US internet outages.
Who to check first in Charleston
The providers with the widest reported coverage in Charleston. Start with the one on your bill.
Optimum in Charleston
Reach: reports service to 88% of Charleston homes. Network: Cable and fiber, run by Optimum (Altice USA).
Where to check: Sign in to the Optimum app or optimum.net to see outages at your address.
AT&T in Charleston
Reach: reports service to 55% of Charleston 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
Frontier in Charleston
Reach: reports service to 54% of Charleston homes. Network: Fiber and DSL, run by Frontier Communications.
Where to check: Sign in to the MyFrontier app or frontier.com to check for outages at your address.
Backup internet options in Charleston
Optimum (88% of homes) and AT&T (55%) each report service to more than half of Charleston homes. At an address that can get both, they run on separate lines.
Home 5G and fixed-wireless plans from T-Mobile Home Internet (67%) and Verizon (64%) report coverage of Charleston 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 99.5% for 4G LTE and 86.5% for 5G.
About 12.6% of Charleston households, roughly 2,700 homes, get online only through a cell plan. For them a mobile outage is an internet outage.
Power and weather behind internet outages in Charleston
Appalachian Power customers averaged 1,832 minutes without power in 2024, across 3.33 interruptions each, against 1,166 minutes for West Virginia 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 Charleston power outages when both go out together.
Kanawha County logged 492 storm reports since 2015, most often thunderstorm wind, flash flood, and flood. Reports peak in June. Power outages were named in 51 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 51.1% of Charleston homes, cable 87.7% and copper lines 3.4%. 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.
Charleston internet outage questions
Does a cell network outage take down home internet in Charleston?
For the 12.6% of Charleston households that rely only on a mobile data plan, yes. The 75.9% with cable, fiber or DSL are not affected.
What can I use for internet in Charleston when my provider is down?
A phone hotspot: 4G LTE covers 99.5% of Charleston by area and 5G 86.5%. Home 5G plans: T-Mobile Home Internet (67%) and Verizon (64%). Where both Optimum and AT&T are available, the second wired line is a backup.
Can a power outage take internet down in Charleston?
Yes, a long power cut can. Appalachian Power customers averaged 1,832 minutes without power in 2024. NOAA records name power outages in 51 storm episodes in Kanawha County since 2015.
Is fiber or gigabit internet available in Charleston?
Fiber is reported at 51.1% of Charleston homes (US 55.9%, West Virginia 40.6%), and plans of 1 Gbps or faster at 51.7% (US 69.2%).
How many Charleston households have no home internet?
About 2,000 of 21,116 households, or 9.3%, have no internet subscription of any kind, and another 12.6% rely only on a cell plan (Census ACS 2020–2024).
Which internet provider covers the most homes in Charleston?
Optimum, at 88% of homes in its FCC filing. Fiber reaches 51.1% of Charleston homes and gigabit plans 51.7%.
ISP outage status for Charleston
Recent internet reports in Charleston
- Internet reports in Charleston, last 24h
- 0
- Most recent internet report here
- September 9, 2026
- Internet reports across West Virginia, last 24h
- 0
- City population
- 46,536
Other outage types in Charleston
Internet Outages in cities near Charleston
- Huntington, WV 44 mi
- Parkersburg, WV 63 mi
- Roanoke, VA 119 mi
- Morgantown, WV 126 mi
- Wheeling, WV 128 mi
- Columbus, OH 133 mi
Report counts are user-submitted; other figures name their official source. How our data works
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