To check internet options at a Richmond-area address, type the full street address into the FCC National Broadband Map, write down what it lists, then confirm with the provider and your county’s broadband page before you remove contingencies. The map is the best free starting point. It is not a guarantee, and this guide shows how to test it.
We do not rank providers here, and we do not state speeds for any locality. What follows is how to look, what official pages say with their dates, and what to ask. Updates are slow in places, so dates matter.
Five steps for any address
- Search the address on the FCC National Broadband Map. The FCC’s how-to article says to use the Search by Address bar, and that addresses in the FCC’s database appear in capital letters. If your street address is not found, you can enter a town and state or pick a location on the map by hand.
- Read the result. The map lists the internet providers reported as serving that location, the technology and the speeds each reports. Green points mean service is reported as available, red means none is reported, and gray means the building likely does not use typical home broadband.
- Check the data date. The article describes a Data As-Of Date dropdown in the sidebar. Note which version you are viewing.
- Look at the state map. The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) runs the Virginia Broadband Availability Map, now hosted on its Commonwealth Connection site.
- Read the county page and call the provider. Ask the provider to confirm service at the address, the install date and the price in writing.
The FCC map shows what providers report to the FCC. A reported location may not be wired yet, and the default fixed broadband map hides service below 25 Mbps unless you change the filters. That is why step five matters.
What the FCC map and the state map each tell you
The two maps use related data. DHCD says providers submit to it the same data they file with the FCC’s Broadband Data Collection. For the 2026 cycle, its page lists a provider submission deadline of March 6, 2026, with data reflecting service as of December 31, 2025, against an FCC deadline of March 2, 2026. So a map checked in November 2026 can be nearly a year behind a newly built street.
If the FCC map shows a provider that cannot serve you, you can challenge it. The FCC’s availability challenge article walks through the steps: open the Fixed Broadband tab, pick residential or business, click the Availability Challenge link next to the address, choose the provider, give a reason code and submit supporting documents. If the provider concedes or does not rebut, the service is removed from that location on the map. If it disputes the challenge, the FCC decides. That article also says providers are generally expected to offer an installation date within 10 business days of a service request, which gives you a benchmark when you ask.
Official facts by locality, with dates
The table lists what each official page states, with the date attached. Where a page is old, it says so. We did not find speed figures we could cite for a specific locality with a date, so none appear.
| Source | Place | What the page states | Date on the page |
|---|---|---|---|
| FCC how-to article | United States | Default fixed map hides speeds below 25 Mbps; green, red and gray location points | No date stated |
| DHCD broadband map page | Virginia | Provider data due March 6, 2026; FCC deadline March 2, 2026 | Service as of December 31, 2025 |
| DHCD BEAD page | Virginia | $1.48 billion BEAD funds; NTIA approved the Final Proposal; award map file dated November 5, 2025 | Approval in November 2025 |
| Connect Hanover | Hanover County | Fiber areas 1-3 are 85% built (63 miles); areas 4-7 are 86% built (267 miles); 1,478 home connections | October 2026 update |
| Henrico County news | Henrico, outer Varina area | $6.5 million project, about 87 miles of fiber, 412 unserved addresses, construction targeted for 2025 | May 13, 2024 |
| Chesterfield Board roundup | Chesterfield County | State grant of more than $755,000; 494 parcels, homes and businesses countywide; 24 to 36 months of construction | July 2023 |
| Goochland broadband page | Goochland County | Fiber plan for 2,691 locations in western Goochland; about $567,000 state grant to Goochland and Port 80 in 2021 | June 10, 2020 and March 18, 2021 |
| Powhatan Broadband Initiative | Powhatan County | Fiber plan for 1,559 western Powhatan locations, about $7.2 million | June 2020; latest update on page February 2023 |
| DHCD city and county profiles | Powhatan, Goochland, Hanover | Profiles exist for awards announced since January 2021 | No publication date shown |
Two gaps are worth knowing. The DHCD profile list does not include Chesterfield, Henrico or the City of Richmond, and the DHCD page suggests asking [email protected] for those. We also did not find a City of Richmond page with dated broadband figures, so for a city address use the FCC and state maps and ask the provider directly.
Send us the address and we will point you to the right pages
If you are about to make an offer, send us the address. We will help you find the map, county page and questions for that property so you can check internet before your inspection window ends. Starting your search? Set up a saved search on our property search for the areas you want.
County by county: what to read and what is dated
Hanover County. The county’s Connect Hanover page says residents can check an address with the county’s address map tool or its Get Connected page. It names All Points Broadband and Brightspeed as builders and says the county aims to finish private roads, railroad crossings and home connections by the end of 2026. The county’s goals are not guarantees, so confirm each address.
Henrico County. The May 2024 county release covers the outer edges of the Varina District, a project with All Points Broadband and Dominion Energy. If you are looking in Varina, ask whether the address falls in that project area. Check the county’s current news for later updates, since the release is from 2024.
Chesterfield County. The July 2023 Board roundup says the project partners are All Points Broadband and Dominion Energy and that new subscribers could not connect until construction of 24 to 36 months was complete. The county also lists a Citizen Wi-Fi program for free access at library locations and county buildings, which is useful as a backup, not a home plan.
Goochland County. The county page invites residents to submit a broadband and cellular needs form, use a Survey123 survey, and review its maps and provider list. It names Firefly Fiber Broadband, run by Central Virginia Services, as a fiber partner, so check Firefly’s site for service areas and pricing, as the county suggests. Most dates on the page are 2019 to 2021.
Powhatan County. The county’s page says its latest update is from February 2023 and tells residents to confirm current service with Firefly or the county. It also says its 2018 tower maps are topographic maps used to estimate availability, so treat them as old estimates.
City of Richmond. Use the FCC map, the state map and a written provider confirmation. If the property is an older or recently built house, remember that a new address may not be in the map’s data yet. Our guide to buying a house to tear down and rebuild covers other utility checks for new builds.
What to ask before you write the offer
- Does the provider confirm service at this exact address, and when can it install?
- What equipment and fees apply, in writing?
- Are there other providers at the address, or only one?
- What does the seller currently use, and can you see a recent bill?
- Is the house inside a project area that the county lists as under construction?
Internet that fails is a reason to renegotiate or walk away inside your contract’s deadlines. Read the buyer representation agreement guide before you commit to an agent, and see our buy with us page for how we work. This is general information, not legal advice. Ask a Virginia real estate attorney about contract contingencies.
Want a second set of eyes on an address?
Send us the address and we will help you work through the maps, the county page and the questions above before you commit. Or start a saved search and we will watch for homes in the areas you pick.
Frequently asked questions
Does the FCC map show internet speed at my address?
It lists the technologies and speeds each provider reports for the location, according to the FCC’s how-to article. Those are provider reports, so ask for the plan and speed in writing before you rely on them.
Why does the map hide some slow service?
The FCC’s default fixed broadband map does not show service with download speeds below 25 Mbps. The how-to article says you can display those with the filters.
What do the green, red and gray dots mean?
Green means internet service is reported as available at that location. Red means none is reported. Gray means the building likely does not use broadband typically sold to homes and small businesses. Purple appears when you view the mobile coverage map.
Can I challenge a wrong listing?
Yes. The FCC’s availability challenge process lets you challenge a provider on the map using a reason code, a description of your service request and any screenshots or documents. If the provider concedes or does not rebut, the service is removed for that location. If it disputes the challenge, the FCC decides.
How quickly should a provider offer an install date?
The FCC’s challenge article says a provider is generally expected to offer an installation date within 10 business days of a service request. That is the availability standard, not a guarantee for your address.
What is BEAD and does it affect my address?
BEAD is the federal Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program. DHCD’s page says Virginia has $1.48 billion in BEAD funds and that NTIA approved the Final Proposal in November 2025. The page also says DHCD runs a BEAD Progress Hub that shows which locations are served and project status. Check it for your address, because the page gives no location counts.
Where can I send questions about state broadband data?
DHCD lists [email protected] on its map page, and the same address on its profiles page for localities not listed there.
Is free public Wi-Fi enough for working from home?
Official pages describe it as a backup. Chesterfield’s Citizen Wi-Fi page says users bring their own equipment and accept an acceptable use policy at library locations and county buildings, and Goochland lists hotspots at fire stations and its Administration Building. Plan on a home connection for daily work.
