Find internet providers in your area

Contrary to popular belief, internet providers do not hold a “monopoly” over markets. What availability and service areas really come down to is profitability and sustainability.

Like any business, internet providers tend to operate primarily in areas where it is, or potentially will be, profitable. For this reason, fiber optic providers may avoid running new lines if the costs outweigh the potential return. Otelco.com, a regional internet provider out of Alabama, estimates laying a new fiber infrastructure to cost between $18-$22K per mile, so it’s understandable why a fiber provider would run service to densely-populated areas before rural or even suburban locations.

And even though cable and DSL providers can have lower initial and long-term operating costs than fiber optic service, these providers tend not to expand service into areas where another provider is already established because competing with other providers of the same technology is risky.

Your home internet speeds are at the mercy of what the provider and technology is capable of delivering. This is most common with DSL and satellite internet providers (specifically Viasat), but may be the case with some cable internet providers as well.

The speeds you can get with DSL service largely depend on how far you are from the provider or their access points. The farther away your address is, the slower your available speeds are likely to be. For example, DSL provider CenturyLink may advertise speeds of 100 Mbps, but if your address is too far away to be eligible for those speeds, you may only be available for speeds up to, say, 25 Mbps.

Similarly, Viasat advertises speeds up to 100 Mbps, but many locations may only be able to get 12, 25 or 50 Mbps because that’s all the technology is capable of delivering in those areas.

Once you have identified available internet providers in your area, you’ll want to consider a number of factors to narrow down your search.

Introductory and standard pricing – In addition to a provider’s introductory plan pricing, also consider the price hike that may come a year or two after service. Some providers, like Cox and Xfinity, can have steep price increases after the first year while others, such as CenturyLink and Frontier, offer a price for life guarantee on select plans.

Initial and ongoing costs – Will installation and activation fees cost you hundreds before you even get service? Or will ongoing equipment fees and data overages add 30% to your monthly bill? Consider what a provider charges upfront and month after month in addition to the plan pricing, and look for ways to save. Look for providers that offer free installation and low equipment rental costs or the option to use your own equipment.

Available speeds – More than half of our surveyed users said they valued speed above all else when choosing an internet provider. Make sure the provider you are considering has the speeds you need, and ideally a faster plan to upgrade to if you need more speed, or a slower, cheaper plan if you find you have more speed than you need.

Technology – As we mentioned above, fiber optic is generally the best connection type because it offers reliably fast download and upload speeds. If fiber is not available in your area, cable is the next best option for speed and value, but DSL may be a better option if you value price over speed. Lastly, satellite is a common go-to internet service in rural areas where fiber and cable are not available. Residents of rural areas may want to consider fixed wireless providers since they often have lower latency and higher data allowances than satellite providers.