Most of us have been pulled into an internet plan with an attractive rate, only to see an outrageously higher number show up on our bills one day. Internet service providers absolutely love price increases — more than half of the ISPs in CNET’s database had price hikes on some plans after just one year.
That’s a big reason why the industry as a whole ranks at the bottom of the American Customer Satisfaction Index’s rankings — less popular than airlines, social media companies and the US Postal Service.
A lot of that dissatisfaction is due to the confusing pricing that comes with internet plans. I’ve been writing about home internet for five years, and it can still be hard for me to figure out what you’re actually paying each month with some providers.
“Some of the bills we collected are incredibly complicated,” said Jonathan Schwantes, senior policy counsel at Consumer Reports, who helped conduct an analysis of over 22,000 internet bills. “In thousands of cases, it is too hard for people to figure out what they’re paying for, what the hidden fees mean or to even locate the price for internet service.”
Some of that obfuscation was cleared up this year when the US Federal Communications Commission forced internet providers to show customers transparent information on every plan in the form of broadband nutrition labels. But even with these new requirements, it’s not always immediately clear how much (and when) your bill will increase.
So we’ve done the legwork for you. These are the providers with the steepest price hikes in the industry, ranked from the most egregious to the least.
How much each internet provider increases prices by
Mediacom price increases
Spectrum price increases
Cox price increases
Xfinity price increases
Hughesnet price increases
Optimum price increases
Sparklight price increases
| Plan | Starting price | Price after six months | Price after one year | Download speeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connect 100 | $35 | $35 | $50 | 100Mbps |
| Connect 300 | $50 | $70 | $70 | 300Mbps |
| Connect 600 | $60 | $80 | $80 | 600Mbps |
| Connect Gig | $70 | $70 | $90 | 1,000Mbps |
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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
Sparklight is one of the rare internet providers that doesn’t wait at least a year to raise your prices. On the Connect 300 and Connect 600 plans, your bill will go up after just six months. Still, the amount it increases by is relatively mild — just $15 to $20 per month.
Average Sparklight price increase: $18.75 per month after one year
Ziply Fiber price increases
Metronet price increases
WOW price increases
Astound Broadband price increases
Most internet providers have confusing pricing; Astound’s is downright inscrutable. More than maybe any other provider in the country, Astound Broadband changes its prices from region to region. All its plans include a two-year price lock guarantee, but there’s no information about what will happen after that (contrary to the FCC’s guidelines on its broadband labels). A customer service representative told me that most plans increase by $10 to $25 monthly after two years, but they couldn’t say for sure how much it would be. I’ve seen prices increase by as much as $60 per month with Astound in the past, but you won’t know for sure unless you sign up.
These internet providers don’t have scheduled price increases
Though these providers don’t play the promotional-pricing-that-expires-after-a-year game, that doesn’t mean your price won’t ever go up. All of them have fine print that essentially says they can raise prices whenever they want. T-Mobile, for instance, used to include a price-lock guarantee on all its plans but abruptly ended that policy for new customers and raised rates earlier this year.
Still, no built-in price increases is better than nothing. Some, like Verizon Fios and Quantum Fiber, even provide price-lock guarantees. These are the ISPs that won’t raise your rates automatically after a year or two:
What you can do about price increases
You probably feel (justifiably) outraged when your internet bill suddenly skyrockets from an unexpected price increase. It might seem like there’s nothing you can do in these situations, but there are a few things you can try to lower the price you’re paying:
- Negotiate with your internet provider: Sometimes, getting back to your old price is as simple as calling your provider and seeing if you can get back on a different promotion. When negotiating your internet bill, make sure you come prepared with information on what other plans they’re offering and prices from competitors in the area. Some customers have also had better luck visiting a store in person than trying to get hold of a human on the phone.
- Purchase your own equipment: The last thing you probably want to do when you get a massive internet bill is spend even more money, but buying your own modem or router can save you money in the long run. These fees usually add about $10 per month to your bill.
- Switch providers: This is likely your last resort. It’s a hassle to switch internet providers. You’ll likely have to return equipment, schedule a new installation and potentially even go without internet for a period of time. But you could save hundreds of dollars a year by getting back onto promotional pricing from another provider. Enter your address on the FCC’s broadband map and see what other options are available to you.
