Best Rural Internet Providers - Broadlink Data Services, LLC.

Our picks

90001 Edit ZIP code

Why we chose these providers

Best rural home internet provider

$60 per month

Best wired rural internet provider

$55 per month

Best rural fixed wireless internet provider

$45 – $65 per month

Fast DSL internet speeds in rural areas

$40 – $70 per month

Best satellite internet provider

$50 – $80 per month

Best cheap rural internet provider

$25 – $80 per month

Fastest satellite internet provider

$90 – $120 per month

Fastest rural internet provider

$20 – $900 per month

Progress

Step 1 of 4

Best rural internet service providers

SORT BY

Connection

Fixed wireless

Or call to learn more: (855) 758-2133

Speed range

72 – 245 Mbps

Price range

$60 per month

Speed range

10 – 140 Mbps

Price range

$55 per month

Our take – Aside from satellite internet providers and T-Mobile, CenturyLink has perhaps the greatest coverage area of any rural ISP, spanning suburban and rural areas across 16 states. CenturyLink, though a DSL service, can meet or beat the internet speeds of satellite internet in most service areas, and the $55-per-month service includes unlimited data and no contracts.

Connection

DSL

Connection

Fixed wireless

Or call to learn more: (877) 215-6970

Speed range

25 – 50 Mbps

Price range

$45 – $65 per month

Speed range

100 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$40 – $70 per month

Our take – Like CenturyLink, Kinetic by Windstream also received a 6.7/10 in our review, but the provider falls short of CenturyLink in total coverage area. That said, it’s a practical choice for rural internet as the provider boasts some of the fastest DSL speeds of any rural ISP.

Connection

Fiber

Connection

Satellite

Or call to learn more: (833) 217-7369

Speed range

50-100 Mbps

Price range

$50 – $80 per month

Speed range

100 – 1,000 Mbps

Price range

$25 – $80 per month

Our take – As a cable provider, Mediacom can deliver much faster and more reliable speeds than DSL, satellite or fixed wireless service, but its service reach is more limited. Mediacom is available to just over 2% of US residents, with service areas across much of the Midwest and South, as well as parts of California and Delaware.

Connection

Cable

Connection

Satellite

Or call to learn more: (855) 874-8909

Speed range

20 – 250 Mbps

Price range

$90 – $120 per month

Speed range

100 – 50,000 Mbps

Price range

$20 – $900 per month

Our take – Ziply Fiber offers multigigabit internet speeds of 2Gbps, 5Gbps, 10Gbps and now 50Gbps available in select (and rural) areas throughout the Northwest.

Connection

Fiber

Best rural internet providers overview

There’s a lot to consider when evaluating rural internet options. To help you sort it all, here’s a rural internet comparison chart with significant plan and pricing details, including speeds, data caps and contract requirements.

Rural internet provider details

Show more (3 items)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Top rural ISP honorable mentions

These providers are also popular choices for internet service in rural areas but lack the speed, value or customer satisfaction marks to have made our list of the best.

AT&T Fixed Wireless: Where available, AT&T Fixed Wireless customers can get download speeds up to 10Mbps and 350GB of data for around $70 per month. Customers can also bundle with a DirectTV or wireless plan and save $10 a month.
EarthLink: EarthLink employs existing networks from providers including AT&T, CenturyLink and Verizon to deliver service, which makes for high availability, but speeds, connection quality and pricing can vary widely by location. Pricing varies by location but you can expect plans to start at around $40 per month for up to 100Mbps.
Frontier: Frontier Internet, a DSL service, reaches select rural areas in 25 states, but speeds are inconsistent and likely to not reach broadband speeds in many areas. DSL service starts at $65 per month and includes unlimited data and equipment rental at no extra cost.
Verizon LTE Installed: Another fixed wireless service, Verizon LTE Installed makes use of Verizon’s 4G network and can deliver speeds around 25Mbps starting at $40 a month for Verizon mobile customers. Verizon’s 5G home internet service isn’t yet widely available in rural areas.
Viasat: Pricing is a bit higher than rival satellite provider Hughesnet, but Viasat may offer a higher data allowance and faster max speeds, depending on where you live. If satellite internet is your only option, be sure to compare Hughesnet and Viasat closely before deciding on which is best for your home.

Satellite internet from Hughesnet, Starlink or Viasat is almost always going to be an option because of the wireless delivery, but satellite comes with a few downsides, not least of which is the high pricing. Other wireless internet options for rural areas include fixed wireless service from providers such as Rise Broadband and AT&T and 5G home internet. T-Mobile offers the greatest 5G coverage in rural areas with max speeds of 72 to 245Mbps starting at $50 a month.

DSL is another popular internet option in rural areas, but speeds can vary significantly by location and provider. For the fastest rural DSL speeds, look to ISPs CenturyLink and Kinetic. Cable internet is will likely be your best option for speed variety and connection reliability, but availability is limited in rural areas.

Installation and operation costs are the main factors preventing ISPs from expanding their networks into rural or suburban markets with low population density. Satellite and fixed wireless services are common in rural areas because providers can broadcast internet signals over a large area without having to run physical cables to each address. DSL service is also common since the technology largely makes use of existing phone lines, which are readily available in many rural areas.

Coaxial (traditional “cable”) and fiber-optic lines are less accessible in rural areas as the cost of installing lines is often much more than the provider will get in return. This means major cable internet providers like Cox, Spectrum and Xfinity, as well as fiber providers such as AT&T, Google Fiber and Verizon, are less inclined to expand service into rural areas.

Wired connection types, such as DSL (copper), cable and fiber-optic internet, typically offer faster speeds and better reliability than wireless, although 5G wireless home internet could prove to be a better option than DSL. Although fiber-optic internet is difficult to come by, especially in rural areas, cable internet is available to 82% of US households, according to the FCC, and is capable of download speeds of 250Mbps or higher in nearly all service areas.

In rural areas where wired connections are unavailable, fixed wireless or 5G home internet are the top choices. You’ll likely get faster speeds, more data (possibly unlimited) and lower latency with fixed wireless or 5G compared with satellite internet. As a last resort, satellite internet is available virtually everywhere. Prices are high for the speeds you get, and data restrictions can make it difficult to use your internet for streaming, but it’s an option for rural internet if no others are available.

Ziply Fiber is the fastest rural internet provider with maximum download speeds of up to 50,000Mbps (50Gbps) available in rural parts of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. Ziply Fiber also offers a 5Gbps and 1Gbps plan. Aside from Ziply Fiber, the fastest rural internet providers include Kinetic, Rise Broadband and Mediacom, all of which offer maximum download speeds of around 1Gbps.

Speeds of up to 10Mbps, which are available to nearly all US households, will support light streaming activity such as streaming in standard definition on a single device. Faster speeds, such as CenturyLink’s 100Mbps plan or Mediacom’s 100Mbps plan, will support streaming in higher resolution and on more devices.

The primary issue with streaming in rural areas isn’t speed but data. Streaming typically consumes more data than anything else we use the internet for, so you’ll want to look for a rural internet option with a high data cap or unlimited data if you typically do a lot of streaming. Try to avoid satellite internet and its strict data limits that, once exceeded, may result in restricted or reduced speeds that cannot support streaming.

Viasat has faster maximum speeds — over 150Mbps in select areas compared with Hughesnet’s maximum of 100Mbps — and possibly higher data allowances, but Hughesnet is cheaper and likely to be the better value. The choice between Hughesnet and Viasat comes down to whether Viasat’s higher price is worth the potentially faster speeds and higher data allowance. For more details, check out our Hughesnet versus Viasat comparison.

It’s doubtful that cable or fiber providers will significantly expand into rural areas unless a driving force like population growth or development occurs, but emerging 5G and satellite technologies could help close the digital divide in the coming years. While AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon are actively deploying 5G service across the US, Elon Musk and his satellite service Starlink are ramping up to completely disrupt the satellite internet market. Stay tuned for updates regarding these technologies and others that could impact your home internet service, rural or otherwise.

T-Mobile is already available to approximately 60% of US households, according to the most recent FCC data. Not all addresses within T-Mobile’s service areas are eligible for 5G service yet, but the provider’s rapid expansion, along with that of Verizon and now AT&T, shows promise that 5G home internet could be available in more rural areas in the near future.