Report: The #1 Internet Provider in America

When it comes to choosing an internet service provider (ISP), reliability stands out as the key attribute a customer would want to consider — but there are some others to think about as well.

What about the quality of its mobile app, video streaming quality and data transfer speed?

The American Customer Satisfaction Index’s (ACSI) latest report, the Telecommunications Study 2022-2023, ranks the ISPs based on how people who use the respective services feel about them.

This year’s ISP rankings are broken up into two categories:

• Fiber Internet Providers
• Non-Fiber Internet Providers

What Internet Provider is the Best?

AT&T Fiber leads the fiber segment as well as the entire industry with an ACSI score of 80. At the other end of the spectrum, Xfinity Fiber (Comcast) is at the bottom with a score of 73.

Among non-fiber ISPs, T-Mobile is #1 with a score of 73, which represents a 3% increase compared to last year. At the opposite end of the list, Optimum (Altice USA) comes in with a 58.

As more phone service carriers and cable companies vie for your internet dollar, money expert Clark Howard says you should play one against the other to get a better deal. “If you’re willing to go from one to the other and then maybe a year later go back to the first, that’ll help,” Clark says.

Let’s take a look at the latest ACSI rankings for fiber internet service providers, then we’ll take a look at the non-fiber internet providers.

Best Fiber Internet Providers According To Customers

Internet Provider	2023 ACSI Score
AT&T Fiber	80
CenturyLink Fiber (Lumen Technologies)	78
Google Fiber	76
All Others	75
Verizon Fios	75
Frontier Fiber	74
Xfinity Fiber (Comcast)	73
Average	75

Read our review on AT&T Fiber.

Best Non-Fiber Internet Providers According To Customers

Internet Provider	2023 ACSI Score
T-Mobile	73
AT&T Internet	72
Sparklight (Cable One)	71
Kinetic by Windstream	70
Xfinity (Comcast)	68
All Others	66
Xtream (Mediacom)	65
Cox	64
Spectrum (Charter Communications)	64
CenturyLink (Lumen Technologies)	62
Frontier Communications	61
Optimum (Altice USA)	58
Average	66

ACSI’s Telecommunications Study 2022-2023 was conducted between April 2022 and March 2023, and is based on interviews from 22,061 customers.

How To Shop for Internet Service

When it comes to getting cheap internet, there are some things you should do before signing up with a new service provider.

Explore Your Options

Depending on where you live, your options may not be limited to only AT&T or Comcast.

T-Mobile and Verizon have jumped into the home internet market in a big way. T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon LTE Home Internet may have competitive pricing in your area.

Compare Prices and Terms

Even if you have limited internet options, there are still ways to save.

• Start by searching for offers from competitors.
• Call your existing provider to see if it can match the deal.

Make sure you have your latest bill handy so you know exactly what you’re paying and can identify a real deal.

Final Thoughts

As an alternative, users who live in rural areas with erratic connectivity may want to consider “fixed wireless internet,” which is increasingly being offered by cell phone service providers.

Clark says these plans typically are cheaper than traditional home internet options.

“If you happen to live at an address that has no traditional high-speed internet from a cable monopoly or a phone monopoly, know that now one-third of American households have available what’s known as ‘fixed wireless service’ from Verizon or T-Mobile,” Clark says.

Check out our guide on cheap fixed wireless service plans.