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The Best And Worst ISPs According To Consumer Reports (dslreports.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the pros-and-cons dept.

In the August 2017 issue of Consumer Reports magazine, the nonprofit organization ranked internet service providers based off customer satisfaction. According to the report, many consumers still don't like their broadband and television provider, and don't believe they receive a decent value for the high price they pay for service. DSLReports summarizes the findings: The report [...] names Chattanooga municipal broadband provider EPB as the most-liked ISP in the nation. EPB was followed by Google Fiber, Armstrong Cable, Consolidated Cable and RCN as the top-ranked ISPs in the nation. Google Fiber "was the clear winner for internet service," notes the report, "with the only high score for value." Google Fiber also received high marks for customer support and service. But large, incumbent ISPs continue to be aggressively disliked due to high prices and poor customer service, according to the report. Despite endless annual promises that customer service is the company's priority, Comcast ranked number 27 out of the 32 providers measured. The company's survey results were weighed down by low consumer marks for value, channel selection, technical support, customer service and free video on demand offerings. The least-liked ISPs in the nation, according to the report, are: Charter (Spectrum), Cable ONE, Atlantic broadband, Frontier Communications, and Mediacom. Not coincidentally, the two largest ISPs in that list just got done with massive mergers or acquisitions that resulted in higher prices and worse service than consumers saw previously. MyRatePlan has a breakdown of ISP providers and plans by ZIP code.

12 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. 32 providers? by DogDude · · Score: 2

    32 providers still exist? I thought we were down to about 4.

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    I don't respond to AC's.
    1. Re:32 providers? by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      32 may exist across nation, but in practice most consumers only have access to somewhere between 1 and 3, and they usually suck because you have nowhere else to go and they know it.

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      Table-ized A.I.
    2. Re:32 providers? by Opportunist · · Score: 2

      Wait, you actually have a choice?

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      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
  2. All Of Them by FrankHaynes · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Everybody HATES their ISP, whichever it is. They all rank the worst.

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    slashdot: A failed experiment.
    1. Re:All Of Them by KGIII · · Score: 2

      I have Fairpoint DSL. I'm way out in the boondocks. They keep my service up, bill me accurately, and have increased my speed a few times, while not actually charging me extra money. I am quite happy with my ISP.

      However, they're being sold - and I remain dubious. However, it's DSL so the PUC has it setup that I can get service from any company willing to service me. GWI is pretty good, so I can just swap service, if they don't meet expectations.

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      "So long and thanks for all the fish."
    2. Re:All Of Them by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Not true. I like all three ISPs I have contracts with. Granted, I live in a country where you actually have a choice of at least 3 and depending where you are up to 7 or more ISPs to choose from, so they better offer reasonable service at a reasonable price because anyone who doesn't has a short life.

      Welcome to capitalism where competition drives quality up and prices down.

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:All Of Them by religionofpeas · · Score: 2

      Actually, I'm quite happy with mine. 100/33 Mbps, no caps, excellent customer service, and they'll let me run my own servers, including smtp/http/ssh and games.

    4. Re:All Of Them by StormReaver · · Score: 2

      They all rank the worst.

      That's because there are only a few, massive ISP's in the country that control all Internet access. They all know that we have no other choice (we can only switch from one shitty ISP to, at most, one equally shitty ISP), and that they are a zero-sum oligopoly. Since they no doubt collude with each other to keep prices high, they are essentially a single-minded monopoly.

      It's telling that the most loved ISP in the nation is a municipal one. It's more evidence that the model with municipally owned wire and privately run service is the only known model that actually works.

  3. Comcast ain't so bad. Here at least. by AlanObject · · Score: 3, Informative

    It seems to be quite the thing to trash Comcast but they have done a reasonably good job in my area.

    When they first acquired the network in my area from AT&T (it was the domain of @Home originally which was pretty much the first cable-modem ISP) I had all sorts of reliability problems. Service would blink out for minutes at a time at random intervals. Very annoying when you are VPNed into the company network or watching a video.

    That persisted for a while but now I have had no downtime for years with DOCSIS 3 service. 100Mbit/sec downloads consistently any time of day.

    Apparently not everyone gets that kind of service which is a shame.

  4. Whaddya expect? by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    Not coincidentally, the two largest ISPs in that [worst] list just got done with massive mergers or acquisitions that resulted in higher prices and worse service than consumers saw previously.

    Side-effect of living in a plutocracy.

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    Table-ized A.I.
  5. Re:ISP's? by ls671 · · Score: 2

    "ISP's"?

    WTF?

    Seriously guys, I'm not even a native speaker and I know that the plural comes without the dash. Right up there in the f...ing headline!

    Okee then, it is called an apostrophe. A dash is similar to a minus sign but usually wider.

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    Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
  6. Re:How could Comcast not be at the bottom? by Salgak1 · · Score: 2

    Yes, Comcast **DOES** suck where I am. That would be Planet Earth. . . .