Best Internet Providers in Florida

What are the best internet providers in Florida?

Looking for the best internet providers in Sunshine State? Broadband experts can bring together the best broadband providers in Florida and choose the right provider that suits your needs. From DSL to fixed wireless to fiber, the range of Florida broadband providers can vary dramatically in affordable prices and speeds. Is the best internet service provider in Florida? AT&T Fiberthanks to its affordable plans and fast speed. The plan starts at $55 and costs $245 per month. However, it is not available at all addresses in the state.

If you can’t get AT&T fiber, there are many other solid options. Cable provider Xfinity covers a wide area of ​​the state, with plans starting at $35 at 150 Mbps a month. DSL Specialist Frontier competes in the Tampa area, and the cable ISP spectrum has a huge presence in the middle of Florida. Rural areas with few other options can turn their eyes to DSLs, satellites, 5G home internet or fixed wireless providers. The goal is to find a reliable internet provider quickly enough to handle your streaming, gaming, or remote working needs.

Best Internet Options in Florida

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Satellite Internet is good for almost anywhere, even in remote locations, but there may be other options in a country home. There may not be a luxury of textile connections, and even cables can be difficult to get. When it comes to wired internet, your best bet could be a DSL from an ISP such as AT&T Internet or CenturyLink. DSL speeds don’t give you whiplash, but they can be faster and cheaper than other alternatives.

Fixed wireless is one solution for reaching homes that do not have wired internet connections. You can see if T-Mobile Home Internet (which expands its reach in rural areas) or Verizon 5G Home Internet will provide services to your address. Keep an eye on small regional providers. A quick systemfor example, it offers fixed wireless to 11 counties in Florida, Valrico and Bradenton service parts, and plans starting from $49 per month. Open broadbanda company focused on underserved regions in the southeastern United States, covering several Florida counties with plans to start at $50 at 25Mbps.

Florida will soon have a rural internet option thanks to government investments and grants. June 2023, Comcast announced Plans to expand the Xfinity 10G network to 25 rural areas of the state.

I’m heading to Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Map Find your address and understand which ISPS will serve your location. You may discover a local provider you didn’t know about. If everything else fails, there is always a satellite internet for Starlink, Viasat or Hughesnet, and Hughesnet is an affordable price-based recommendation. Here’s a comparison of the best satellite internet providers:

Internet breakdown by City of Florida

It is difficult to cover statewide broadband options and give individual cities the attention they deserve. That’s why we’ve also compiled a list of the best internet providers in cities across the United States, including those in Florida. We work on details such as internet connection type, maximum speed, and cheapest providers. If you can’t find the town you’re looking for below, check again later. We work to add more cities each week.

Florida broadband coverage at a glance

According to the FCC, broadband connections require a download speed of at least 100Mbps and an upload speed of at least 20Mbps. Florida data for 2022 Although 88.8% of households in the state have access to broadband internet, some counties outperform others. Clay County, part of the Jacksonville Metro area, reached nearly 94% access, while Hamilton County, located at the northern tip of the state, was only 73.9%. If you see Florida data dates back to 2017there were upward mites that were stable with wideband availability across the state.

Fiber Internet has been praised for its reliability, upload speed and fast downloads, but has not achieved 100% coverage statewide. According to FCC data, about 92.8% of homes can connect at fiber speeds up to 250Mbps, while only 47% could be gig or faster. Locations with the best fiber coverage are concentrated in metropolitan areas of Tampa, Jacksonville and Miami. If you’re planning on a transition to Florida and need textiles for your work or game, this is something to consider. AT&T Fiber is Florida’s leading ISP player, but look for frontier fiber in the Tampa area.

How fast is Florida broadband?

FCC data shows that over 90% of Florida homes have access to fixed broadband speeds of at least 250Mbps, but that figure drops below 50% at speeds of at least 1,000Mbps. Not surprisingly, the biggest metropolitan areas enjoy top speed options, so if you want super fast connections for work or play, you can go to big cities like Jacksonville, Tampa, or Miami. Take note.

Let’s measure Florida against other countries. According to Ookla’s SpeedTest dataFlorida ranks strongly in terms of fixed broadband, just behind Rhode Island and Connecticut. Ookla also ranks internet speeds in the 100 most populous cities in the United States. Florida is in the photo, with Hialea ranked 25th and Jacksonville ranked 27th. Other metro areas, including Tampa (50th), Miami (87th), and Orlando (59th), show that Florida also has room for improved broadband performance. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET and Ziff Davis.)

When it comes to high-speed internet in Florida, it’s where the fibers are. AT&T Fiber has the widest availability statewide, but looking at the statewide map is also a hit and miss coverage. AT&T offers speeds up to 5,000Mbps in several spots. There are other fiber competitors, especially CenturyLink quantum fibers and frontier fibers. Recent federal and state broadband infrastructure investments should help expand the fiber footprint within the state.

Florida Internet Pricing

The typical starting price for Home Internet is $50 per month, but some providers often have lower entry points, as promotional or contract transactions for new customers. Xfinity is well known for offering a $35 connectivity plan for a 150Mbps service, but that’s a yearly promotional price. For existing T-Mobile or Verizon phone customers (or expected to be one), you can get a deep discounted home internet up to $40 a month on T-Mobile or $35 a month on Verizon .

There are other ways to save on internet bills. First of all, be realistic about the speed you need. If you’re streaming Netflix and shopping online, you probably won’t need a $245, 5,000Mbps AT&T Fiber Plan. A slower, cheaper plan will work. Switching your ISP isn’t necessarily fun, but savings are worth it. Shop and compare pricing, especially if your existing plans reach the end of the promotion period and your prices rise, or if your existing plans end. Below are eight ways to save your internet bill:

How CNET Chooses the Best Internet Providers in Florida

There are many internet service providers and are local. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptops, routers and kitchen tools, it is unrealistic to personally test all internet service providers in a given city. What is our approach? First of all, we leverage our own pricing, availability and speed databases that are drawn from our own historical ISP data, partner data, and mapping information from fcc.gov.

This won’t end. Use the FCC website to view your data and consider all ISPs that provide services in your area. You can also enter your local address on the provider website to find specific options for residents. Consider sources that include the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power and assess how happy your customers are with your ISP service. ISP plans and prices are subject to change frequently. All information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

Once you have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

• Does the provider provide access to fairly fast internet speeds?
• Are customers getting decent value for what they are paying for?
• Are customers satisfied with their service?

The answers to these questions are often layered and complicated, but the provider closest to “yes” is recommended for all three. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plan with the lowest monthly fee, but also take into account price increases, equipment fees, contracts and more. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively easy. Look at the advertised uploads and download speeds and consider the actual speed data from sources such as: okla and FCC Report.

To explore the process in more detail, see How to Test the ISPS Page.

Florida’s broadband future

Florida’s broadband future looks bright. The federal government is pouring in to improve internet options. December 2022, Florida was approved for $248 million It helps connect businesses with an estimated 48,400 households that lack high-speed internet access. That dollar figure is warned by an incoming investment of approximately $1.7 billion through its broadband equity access and deployment program as part of the federal infrastructure law.

Florida’s Broadband Opportunity Program works to expand broadband. I made a splash in May 2023 Announcement of $60 million awards 22 projects throughout the state. These funds have challenged a variety of tasks, including laying fiber optic cables in multiple counties, including Bradford, Marion, Highlands and Santa Rosa. Other projects focus on expanding fixed wireless coverage in rural areas. As these projects come to fruition, more rural and underserved areas will have access to a fast, reliable and affordable internet.

Florida FAQ Internet Providers