Find Internet In My Area

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AT&T is the most widely available internet provider (excluding satellite) in the US. AT&T internet may be available near you if you live in or are moving to the South or Midwest, as well as parts of California, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Nevada.

Much of AT&T’s network is DSL-based and can offer speeds of 75Mbps or higher depending on your location. Around 30% of those in AT&T service areas will be eligible for fiber and have access to gigabit speeds — download speeds of 1,000Mbps are available in more than 99% of AT&T fiber service areas.

AT&T Home Internet

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Xfinity is the largest cable internet provider in the US, extending broadband service to more than a third of residents. Xfinity may be available in your area if you live in the mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Midwest or along the West Coast, but random pockets of serviceability can be found in much of the South as well as parts of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah.

Xfinity largely employs a cable network for service. By largely, I mean 99.98% is cable or a cable/fiber hybrid by the FCC’s numbers. While Xfinity does advertise a fiber network and 2-gig plans, availability is super scarce, to the tune of 0.02% of Xfinity service areas.

Xfinity Internet

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Spectrum is the second-largest cable provider in the US behind Xfinity, covering more than a third of the population across 41 states. Though the two providers cover nearly 70% of US households combined, there is little to no overlap in serviceability as Spectrum mainly operates in areas where Xfinity does not. 

Since Spectrum covers so many states, there’s a possibility that you could be eligible for service just about anywhere, even Hawaii, but those on the East Coast or in the Midwest are most likely to find Spectrum internet to be available. 

Like Xfinity, Spectrum mostly employs a cable or cable/fiber network with few true fiber connections available (less than 1% of service areas are eligible for fiber service). Spectrum makes good use of its cable network, however, as gigabit download speeds are available in 99.98% of service areas.

Spectrum Internet

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Verizon Fios and Verizon Home Internet (its DSL service) cover much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. Though service is only available in nine states, Verizon still covers an impressive 17% of US residents, thanks largely to the provider’s extensive fiber coverage in cities such as Baltimore, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Nearly two-thirds of Verizon’s network is fiber, which is a higher fiber percentage than you’ll find from just about any major provider. With such a large fiber network, Verizon is capable of delivering fast upload and download speeds to more than 37 million people. The remaining third of those who are eligible for Verizon internet will have access to the provider’s DSL service, which cannot offer broadband speeds in any location, according to the FCC.

Verizon Fios

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CenturyLink is available in 36 states but only to 16% of the US population, implying that the provider largely operates in rural or suburban areas. There are some major cities, such as Denver, Minneapolis, Salt Lake City and Seattle; otherwise, look for CenturyLink to be available just outside the city.

If you live in a city where CenturyLink is available, there’s a good chance you’ll be eligible for fiber service as around a quarter of CenturyLink’s network is fiber. More than 75% of CenturyLink customers will have access to DSL service, but CenturyLink does a good job of delivering relatively fast speeds over its DSL network. The FCC reports around 60% of DSL customers can get broadband speeds, and more than 27% can get speeds of 100Mbps or higher.

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Frontier Communications lost a chunk of its network after selling fiber and DSL lines in the Pacific Northwest to Ziply Fiber in 2020, but the provider is still one of the largest fiber and DSL providers, covering around a tenth of US residents across 25 states. Frontier serviceability is greatest in the Midwest, but there’s also a good chance Frontier is available in your area if you live in California, Connecticut, upstate New York or West Virginia.

Frontier has made an effort to increase its fiber coverage in recent years. The provider remained at around 33% fiber coverage from December 2019 to June 2020, in spite of losing all fiber networks in the Pacific Northwest, indicating that fiber availability is improving in other areas. If Frontier fiber service has not yet reached your area, DSL may be a plausible broadband option. Speeds of 25Mbps or higher are available to around a third of customers, while 10% of those in Frontier service areas can get speeds of 100Mbps or higher.

Frontier Communications

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Cox Communications is the third largest cable provider in the US, but overall availability is far lower than Xfinity and Spectrum, covering less than 7% of residents across 18 states. Cox is most likely to be available in your area if you live in Las Vegas, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, San Diego or anywhere in the state of Rhode Island.

Like with Xfinity and Spectrum, cable or cable/fiber makes up the bulk of the Cox network, but the provider does boast a larger fiber network at 5% coverage. Download speeds up to 1,000Mbps are available in all Cox service areas, but those who are lucky enough to be eligible for fiber service can enjoy symmetrical upload and download speeds. 

Cox Communications

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Altice covers around 5% of US residents through its Optimum and Suddenlink brands. Optimum is available in fewer states than Suddenlink, but likely covers a larger share of the population as coverage spans much of the greater NYC area and parts of Pennsylvania. 

Altice primarily uses a cable or cable/fiber hybrid network to deliver service, but the company has invested in fiber expansion in recent years. Optimum, for example, now extends fiber internet service to more than 1 million residents in the NYC area. 

Optimum Internet

Suddenlink

Fills in the remainder of Altice service areas

Another Altice brand, Suddenlink, is available everywhere outside of Pennsylvania and the greater NYC area in the map above. West Virginia residents have the greatest Suddenlink availability, but those in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana or Texas may find Suddenlink internet in their area. 

According to an Altice spokesperson, gigabit service is available in 80% of Suddenlink service areas. While 80% gig coverage is somewhat low compared to cable providers such as Spectrum or Xfinity, it’s important to note that Suddenlink largely operates in rural or suburban areas where high-speed connections, especially those with gigabit capabilities, are less common.

Rise Broadband

Largest fixed wireless provider bringing service to rural areas of 16 states

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Rise Broadband is the nation’s largest fixed wireless provider, available to around 5% of the US population throughout parts of 16 states. Fixed wireless internet doesn’t require a cable or phone line to your home, making it ideal for rural internet service. Consequently, rural areas are where you’re most likely to find Rise Broadband, especially those in the central US or rural parts of Idaho, Nevada and Texas.

Getting broadband service to rural areas can be a challenge, but Rise Broadband does a decent job. Around 83% of those in Rise Broadband service areas can get speeds up to 25Mbps or higher, totaling around 14 million largely rural residents who may otherwise not have access to a broadband connection.

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Mediacom covers random areas throughout much of the Midwest, but you’ll find service in parts of the South along the Gulf Coast and in southern Georgia, as well as parts of eastern North Carolina and along the southern Delaware/Maryland border. All in all, Mediacom is available to just over 2% of US residents with coverage spanning 22 states.

If Mediacom provides internet in your area, expect a cable connection that can deliver gigabit download speeds. A full 100% of Mediacom’s network is cable and 97% of those in Mediacom service areas are eligible for speeds up to 1,000Mbps.

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Another champion of rural areas, Windstream’s internet service, Kinetic, is available in 18 states but only 2% of the US population. Kinetic internet may be available in your area if you live in a rural or suburban area in the South or Midwest, but Kinetic coverage does reach as far west as New Mexico. Iowa, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas have the greatest Kinetic serviceability, but you may also find Kinetic internet near you in parts of Arkansas, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, among other states.

If Kinetic internet is available near you, it’s likely to be DSL service as fiber makes up just over a quarter of the Kinetic network. Though DSL is typically slower than cable or fiber service, Kinetic DSL is capable of delivering speeds of 25Mbps or higher in an impressive 85% of service areas. Around 64% will have access to speeds of 100Mbps or higher while nearly 8% may be eligible for speeds of 250Mbps or higher. That’s the fastest DSL service you’re likely to find from any provider.

Kinetic Internet

Why aren’t there more internet options near me?

The costs of expanding to and operating in a new area, especially one that is already serviced by a competing ISP, is the main factor that prevents providers from offering service in more areas. As a result, it’s common for households to have availability to just one provider of a particular service type. 

For example, though cable internet is available to 89% of households, only 7% have access to more than one cable internet provider. Multiple provider options are even more limited with fiber-optic service. Though roughly 43% of households are eligible for fiber internet, less than 3% have more than one option.

Will new internet providers come to my area?

It’s difficult to say if the largest cable and fiber providers will continue expanding into new service areas, but smaller providers — and those with potentially industry-disrupting technologies — could lead the broadband expansion efforts in coming years. 

5G home internet, from providers including T-Mobile and Verizon, is off to a promising start, delivering high-speed broadband to underserved areas and creating much-needed competition in others. Satellite internet from SpaceX’s Starlink is also set to improve broadband options in rural and suburban areas in coming years, as is Amazon’s Project Kuiper.

That’s exciting news for rural areas, but what about more options in metro areas, where residents typically have the choice between a cable or fiber provider? Providers like Starry Internet, which uses a fixed wireless network, already offers an affordable, high-speed alternative to the traditional established providers in five major markets and intends to begin service in new cities in the near future. 

So in short, I wouldn’t look to the big providers and established technologies to bring new internet options to your area anytime soon. The exception there could be fiber internet, which has almost doubled its availability in the last five years. However, fiber availability has only increased by one or two percent per year since 2018, indicating that fiber expansion is slowing.

Why is the internet in my area so slow?

There are a number of factors that can contribute to slow internet speeds, but if the internet in your area — not just your home — is slow, it’s likely due to the technology. Satellite and DSL internet, common internet options in rural areas, are slower than most other connection types, typically maxing out at 25 to 100Mbps. 

If you have cable or fiber internet service and your connection is consistently slow, it could be the result of using Wi-Fi, which can significantly reduce your actual speeds. Resetting your router, or upgrading to a new router, could improve your Wi-Fi speeds. You may also want to consider upgrading your plan to a faster speed, if available.