With so much of our time spent on the internet, it stands to reason that you’re going to want an Internet service provider that can offer the highest speeds while also providing good service at an affordable cost. Choosing an internet service provider can be difficult if you live in a large area that offers many options.
Here are some of the highest rated internet service providers for home and business, reasons why they were chosen, and what qualities you may want to look for in an internet service provider.
What to Look For in an Internet Service Provider
When choosing an internet service provider for home, you want more than high download and upload speeds, although speed is very important. Let’s face it, the faster your speed the more you’ll accomplish while online. However the higher the speed, typically, the higher the cost. You need to decide which is more important to you: speed or cost. Here are some of the top things to look for in an Internet service provider.
- Speed – The faster your speed, the more you can get done.
- Cost – Remember you usually get what you pay for.
- Special features – Do they offer e-mail accounts, websites, online security suites and Wi-Fi access?
- Customer service and support – How helpful are they, and how easy are they to get a hold of when you need them?
- Bundling – Do they deal with strictly internet or do they offer bundling packages that could save you money?
Top Rated Internet Service Providers by JD Powers and Associates
JD Powers and Associates provides readers with an excellent rating system sorted by demographic areas. JD Powers and Associates based their rankings on the following criteria:
- Overall customer satisfaction
- Billing
- Cost
- Performance and reliability
- Communication
- Customer service
Listed below are the top three home internet service providers for 2013 in each section of the United States.
- North Central
- WOW (Wide Open West)
- AT&T
- CenturyLink
- West
- Verizon
- AT&T
- CenturyLink
- East
- Verizon
- AT&T
- Cox Communications
- South
- Verizon
- AT&T
- Bright House Networks
Each provider was given from one to five stars for each category. In the areas where AT&T and Verizon were the top ranked providers, they both received almost all five- and four-star ratings.
Additional rankings
Consumers looking for home internet service provider rankings can do their research from more than one ranking service, particularly if they live in an area where they may not get the services of a special internet provider. Below are the rankings of the best internet service providers for 2014, according to TopTenReviews.
The rankings are based on overall rating, connection speed, service area, additional features and support options. In this ranking, the companies were given a score from one to ten for each category.
- Comcast – 9.83 points
- Time Warner Cable – 9.05 points
- Verizon – 9.00 points
Although the decision on which internet service provider is dependent on location, for you to navigate those options and choose the best service for you.
