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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Best cable broadband ISP
- 10 free email accounts
- Includes Cox Security Suite
- Good customer satisfaction
- PowerBoost increases speeds for some downloads
- Not available in all areas
- Lower customer ratings for technical support
Cox Cable Internet service is available in many U.S. regions, including parts of the Midwest as well as sections of the east and west coasts. Like other ISPs, Cox offers different plans with different connection speeds and prices. For about $35 per month, you get a plan with download speeds of up to 3 Mbps and 10 email accounts. The Cox Security Suite is included, with a spam blocker, popup blocker, antivirus software and parental control features. If you don't need this much speed and want to pay a little less, EarthLink DSL offers a budget plan (Starting at *Est. $30 per month) with a far slower download speed -- just 768 Kbps -- but it's still 15 times faster than dial-up. EarthLink gets good customer satisfaction scores, as well.
To see how happy Cox subscribers are with their service, we looked at the large customer satisfaction surveys conducted by ConsumerReports.org and J.D. Power and Associates. We also found user reviews at BroadbandReports.org.
Our Sources
1. ConsumerReports.orgDetails/Subscribe
The rankings here are based on responses to ConsumerReports.org's annual telecom survey. About 70,000 people responded, rating their ISPs on value, reliability, connection speed and customer support. However, the full results are available only to subscribers.
Review: Internet Service Ratings, Editors of ConsumerReports.org, May 2011
In J.D. Power's 2010 customer satisfaction survey, ISPs are rated on overall satisfaction, performance and reliability, cost of service, customer service, billing, and offerings and promotions. The survey divides the U.S. into four geographical regions: East, South, North Central and West. Cox is top-rated in the West and third in North Central, and gets above-average ratings in every other area of the country.
Review: High Speed Internet Service Provider Ratings, Editors of J.D. Power and Associates, Oct. 28, 2010
Cox's average score from customers over the past six months is 74 percent, which wins it a Silver Star award. Ratings are highest for install coordination and lowest for tech support.
Review: All Reviews of Cox HSI, Contributors to BroadbandReports.com, As of Oct. 2011
PCMag.com measures speed results for providers nationwide using readers' tests, and Cox comes out on top. Verizon FiOS results are lumped in with its DSL service, which artificially lowers its speed tests, the site notes.
Review: The Fastest ISPs in the U.S. 2011, Eric Griffith, Aug. 31, 2011
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2 picks by top review sites.