Internet service provider alternatives is an incredibly frustrating category to research. There aren’t major nationwide options that are good alternatives, and a lot of people only have access to one, maybe two options for fiber internet.
Part of the problem is that our government has failed to realize that a strong internet connection should be a public utility, instead of a patchwork of company-owned infrastructure networks. This is especially true in rural communities that have been completely neglected in terms of internet access. Internet providers don’t even have to treat all internet traffic equally anymore thanks to an appeals court ruling in January 2025. This means that internet providers can slow down your internet access to prioritize other traffic.
The Corporate Democrat’s solution to internet access is the BEAD program (Broadband Equity Access and Deployment), which gives $42 billion in funding to internet provider companies to build more broadband in under-served areas. BEAD was passed in 2021, and three years later, not a single home had been connected by the BEAD program. Now, Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is delaying the BEAD program in a corrupt attempt to shift the funding to support satellite internet through Elon Musk’s Starlink and Kuiper, Amazon’s new satellite internet project.
As a side note – Howard Lutnick turned over his investment bank Cantor Fitzgerald to his two sons when he was confirmed as Commerce Secretary. Kyle and Brandon, both in their 20s, used Howard’s former investment bank to bet against Trump’s new tariffs, assuming they would eventually be ruled unlawful. Keep in mind – their father is the one who made the tariff policy. Now that the Supreme Court has struck down Trump’s tariffs, Kyle and Brandon are expected to make millions.
However, there are local governments trying to bridge this gap. Check out Community Network’s Municipal Broadband map to find networks owned by local governments or cooperatives. If you have a municipal network option in your town or city, I highly recommend using them over any corporate entity.
One of the best examples of a municipal network is EPB in Chattanooga.
EPB: EPB is owned by the city of Chattanooga, does not have a profile on OpenSecrets, and supports diversity.
Available In: Chattanooga, TN only
Internet Type: Fiber
Business Options? Small Business & Enterprise options
Cost: EPB is so much more transparent about their pricing than other companies. Starting at $57.99 for 300 mbps per month.
If you don’t live in Chattanooga, I’ve gone through a few alternatives below. I cannot research every single internet provider in the country, as there are somewhere between 2,000 and 3,000 of them, but I’ll share some of the ones I looked into and generally recommend and ones I’d stay away from if you can.
If you cannot switch your internet provider, it’s okay. I’m not judging you, and no one else should either. (I’m stuck with Optimum, see below.) I highly recommend searching for local organizations that are pushing for municipal or community broadband. They may have a solution that exists already, or are actively working towards making one happen. Get involved in organizing if you want to make it happen in your community!
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Ting: Owned by Tucows Inc., a publicly traded Canadian company. EchoStar, a separate company, owns Ting Mobile (not recommended). Tucows Inc. supports diversity and does not have a profile on OpenSecrets.
Available In: Select cities in California, Colorado, Idaho, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Arizona, Tennessee
Internet Type: Fiber
Business Options? Small business, enterprise
Cost: Starting at $89/month for up to 2 gbps, can find pricing by city here
i3 Broadband: Owned by Wren House Infrastructure Management Limited, which was formed as an infrastructure investment group under the the Kuwait Investment Authority, the state-owned sovereign wealth fund of Kuwait. Diversity is part of Wren House’s ESG framework for labor management and i3 Broadband’s values. None of these companies have a profile on OpenSecrets.
Available In: Illinois (Central & Chicago suburbs), Rhode Island (Warren, Bristol, Barrington)
Internet Type: Fiber
Business Options? Business internet and phone
Cost: They don’t have a way to clearly view plans without putting in an address, but according to their website plans start at $30/mo.
Sonic: According to an undated FCC filing, Sonic is owned independently with the founder Dane Jasper owning approximately 67% of the company. Sonic (the internet company) does not have a profile on OpenSecrets, nor a public diversity policy.
Available In: Central & Northern California, they also offer to install internet in your apartment building at no cost to you
Internet Type: Fiber
Business Options? Business internet and phone
Cost: Starts at $49.99/mo for your first year
Even though I hate private equity, these are still likely better options than AT&T, Verizon, & Comcast.
Greenlight Networks: Greenlight Networks was acquired by private equity firm Oak Hill Capital in 2022. Greenlight Networks also acquired FastBridge Fiber in late 2025. Oak Hill Capital spent $10K on lobbying in 2023, and neither company has a public diversity policy.
Available In: Western/Upstate NY (Buffalo, Rochester, Binghamton, Capital Region, Hudson Valley), Baltimore, MD; Northeast & South Central PA
Internet Type: Fiber
Business options? Small business
Cost: Starts at $55/month I believe, but may vary based on location.
GoNetSpeed: Owned by Oak Hill Capital, which combined OTELCO, OTTC, Upstate Fiber Networks, Lantek, & Icon with GoNetSpeed into one company in 2021. Oak Hill Capital spent $10K on lobbying in 2023, and neither company has a public diversity policy.
Available In: Selected cities in the Northeast (New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania), Ohio, Missouri, Alabama and West Virginia
Internet Type: Fiber
Business Options? Small business & enterprise options
Cost: Can’t see pricing without putting in an address, but they offer rebate cards as discounts for new customers.
Monkeybrains: The cool thing about Monkeybrains is that they will work with you to get it installed in your apartment building.
The Details: Locally owned and operating since 1998 in the San Francisco area.
Available In: San Francisco & San Jose
Internet Type: Wireless
Business Options? Yes
Cost: $35/month
Ziply Fiber: Acquired by BCE, Canada’s largest communications company, in August 2025. Ziply does not have a profile on OpenSecrets and BCE has not spent money on lobbying since 2001. Ziply does not have a public diversity policy.
Available In: Washington, Oregon, Idaho
Internet Type: Fiber, DSL
Business Options? Small business & enterprise options available.
Cost: Residential fiber plans start at $20/month for the first year at the lowest speed, $50-$60/month for 1 GBPS
My mom lives in a small town, and her house is a quarter of a mile outside the town border where the cable stops. Frontier, now owned by Verizon, refused for decades to extend any broadband access to her house despite it being literally less than a mile outside of town. She only had access to DSL for years, and the running joke among my sister and I was how horrible her internet was (sorry Mom, love you!). She got Starlink a couple years ago and it has been a game-changer – you can finally stream movies, use TikTok/Reels, and have webpages load faster than molasses.
Even I would not ask my mom to get rid of Starlink despite ties to Elon Musk, because it’s literally the only way she’s been able to get a good internet connection and service due to the failure of our government. So, if you are in a similar boat, I don’t blame you for keeping or maybe even signing up for Starlink. If you do have other good internet options however, definitely stay away!
I tried to check if US Mobile had hotspots or other internet services, but they’re not available at this time.
Starlink: Owned by SpaceX/Elon Musk.
Viasat: Generally poorly recommended due to slow internet speeds and high cost, but if you’re in a rural area with limited options this may work for you as it’s generally considered better than HughesNet.
The Details: Publicly traded with institutional investors as the largest shareholders. Viasat spent $4.16 million on lobbying between 2023-2025 on issues related to Department of Defense cybersecurity capabilities legislation, space traffic management and orbital debris, FAA reauthorization, air traffic control modernization. Although they don’t have a specific page for it on their website, they have a culture & inclusion section in their 2025 ESG report, and support diverse employees through employee resource groups.
Available In: Vast majority of US
Business Options? Both residential and business options.
Cost: For residential, first three months are $39.99/month for their Essentials plan or $69.99/month for the Unleashed plan
EarthLink: Has rural internet options via 5G and satellite, also offers fiber & DSL. I don’t really recommend them as an option unless you’re in a rural area and its better than Starlink or Viasat.
The Details: Owned by private equity firm Trive Capital. EarthLink has not spent money on lobbying in the last three years.
Available In: Technically nationwide, but the type of service varies greatly by location
Internet Type: Fiber, 5G, Satellite, & DSL. EarthLink’s networks are rented from other major players, and their satellite internet utilizes Viasat’s network.
Business Options? Yes
Cost: Varies wildly
HughesNet: Don’t recommend based on poor reviews. They’re owned by EchoStar, who spent $8.2 million on lobbying in the last three years.
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Optimum: Publicly traded with institutional investors as the largest shareholders. Optimum was known as Altice until they rebranded to Optimum in late 2025. Optimum/Altice spent $1.56 million on lobbying from 2023-2025 on issues related to broadband deployment and availability, and taxes including the Big Bullsh*t Bill from 2025. The founder of Optimum/Altice is Patrick Drahi, a French-Israeli billionaire who also founded the Israeli news chanel i24NEWS and is in talks to purchase a 15% stake in Channel 13 in Israel from Len Blavatnik (who also owns Deezer), which journalists have condemned as it limits press freedom, especially in anti-Netanyahu coverage.
Rise Broadband: Owned by private equity firm GI Partners since 2023. Available in mainly the Midwest with some mountain states (Idaho, Nevada, Colorado, Utah), check their coverage map here.
WOW! Internet: As of August 2025, WideOpenWest (WOW) was purchased by private equity firms Crestview Partners and DigitalBridge. Digital Bridge was then acquired by SoftBank, a Japanese investment firm, in December 2025. Available in the Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio), Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida.
Spectrum, also bought out Cox Communications in May 2025.
Xfinity (Comcast)
AT&T Fiber Internet, also owns Quantum Fiber
T-Mobile Home Internet. Metronet is owned by T-Mobile and private equity firm KKR
Fios, Frontier (owned by Verizon)
G-Fiber (Google)
All this to say – fast, reliable internet access should be a public utility owned by the government to ensure fair and equitable access for all, not more corporate handouts.
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