Best Reviewed
ISPs
- Best ISP Verizon FiOS *Est. $50
- Best cable broadband ISP Cox Cable *Est. $35
- Best regional cable broadband ISP Wow! Cable *Est. $40
- Best DSL ISP EarthLink DSL *Est. $30
- Best dial-up ISP EarthLink Dial-up *Est. $15
- Free dial-up NetZero/Juno Dial-up *Est. $0
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- Free Wi-Fi
- Free modem if you order online
- Eleven free email accounts
- Much slower than cable or fiber-optic ISPs
- Tech support could be better
- Internet security software costs extra $5 per month on slower plans
AT&T DSL offers several service plans, including AT&T DSL Basic; it's among the least expensive broadband services available but its 768 Kbps downstream speed isn't the fastest. Higher-speed plans top out at 6 Mbps for $43 per month. As with all DSL plans, however, the fastest speed you can subscribe to may be limited by your distance from the nearest telephone company central office. All plans offer substantial reductions in first-year costs for new subscribers. Those without AT&T phone service may pay $5 more per month. AT&T generally fares well in surveys and customer reviews, but customers in the Southeast seem slightly happier despite paying a couple of dollars more for the company's higher-speed plans. If you live in an area served by Verizon FiOS, you can get faster (up to 15 Mbps) download speeds for a little more (*Est. $50 per month) than AT&T's top speeds, or for less if you bundle Internet service with your telephone or cable TV service. Verizon FiOS also has terrific customer satisfaction ratings.
We found the most extensive customer satisfaction surveys at J.D. Power and Associates, which conducted surveys in 2008, 2009 and 2010. ConsumerReports.org rates ISPs based on a reader poll of more than 70,000 subscribers. We found helpful user reviews at BroadbandReports.com, and PCMag.com has an extensive survey and rankings based on user reviews from 2010.
Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
ConsumerReports.org ranks ISPs on their value, reliability, connection speed and customer support. No dial-up services are included, only high-speed ISPs. The results are available only to ConsumerReports.org subscribers.
Review: Internet Service Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, May 2011
J.D. Power asked subscribers to rate their ISPs on six criteria: overall satisfaction, customer service, cost of service, performance and reliability, billing, and offerings and promotions. AT&T gets above-average ratings in the North Central and South regions, but average or below-average scores elsewhere. (J.D. Power reports results by geographical region: East, North Central, South and West.) The ratings don't separate fiber-optic and DSL service.
Review: High Speed Internet Service Provider Ratings, Editors of J.D. Power and Associates, Oct. 28, 2010
Depending on the geographic region, AT&T wins a Silver or Bronze Star award here. Ratings are based on feedback provided in user-written reviews of the service, with an average six-month rating of 73%. Quite a few are recent posts. Links are provided to user reviews, some of which are highly detailed, and include follow-up postings and comments. User forums for various ISPs, including AT&T's DSL service in various parts of the country, are also available.
Review: All Reviews of AT&T Yahoo, Contributors to BroadbandReports.com, As of Oct. 2011
PCMag.com reports on customer satisfaction with ISPs based on its annual survey. AT&T ranks fourth overall among DSL services, with a very slightly below-average score.
Review: Readers' Choice Awards 2011: Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Network Routers, Ben Gottesman, June 22, 2011
ISPs Runners Up:
3 picks by top review sites.
2 picks including: BroadbandReports.com…
2 picks by top review sites.