Your Guide to Rural Internet Options

Rural internet guide

If you’re having trouble getting reliable internet service in your rural area, you’re not alone. In our survey of 1,736 Americans, we found that 46% of rural residents had trouble getting the type of internet connection they wanted due to lack of availability in their area, compared to 33% of urban and 32% of suburban residents.¹

Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says that 22.3 percent of folks in rural America and 27.7 percent of people on tribal lands lack broadband internet. Only 1.5 percent of urban Americans can say the same—the digital divide is that drastic.²

Broadband internet is the FCC’s term for internet with minimum download speeds of 25 Mbps and upload speeds of 3 Mbps, which is nowhere near the 100 Mbps we recommend as a good internet download speed. But with delays in broadband deployment to rural areas, even the bare minimum rates would be a windfall for some.

We want to help you find the fastest rural internet options at a price that won’t empty your wallet. Read on for our guide to rural internet service types and providers, alternative solutions, financial support for rural internet users, and future developments to work and hope for.

Jump to:

• Rural internet types
• Rural internet alternatives
• Financial support for rural internet
• Future of rural internet

Rural internet types

The most common internet types in the US are fiber-optic, cable, and digital subscriber line (DSL). Another option is wireless internet, which includes fixed wireless internet and solutions from mobile providers—like 4G LTE and 5G home internet and cellular hotspots. You might even consider satellite internet, which has recently gotten much buzz with Starlink.

Fiber internet

Fiber internet is the fastest, most reliable internet service type. Fiber-optic cables allow data to travel at the speed of light through glass (or sometimes plastic).

But to take full advantage of fiber internet speeds, you need fiber-optic cables that run to your home, not just your city or county. Most internet providers don’t want to take on the cost of building new infrastructure, so they leave their rural customers in a lurch.

Some rural communities have taken matters into their own hands to install municipality-owned networks. We’ll cover how you can pursue that option in the “future of rural internet” section below.

Fiber internet providers

Ziply: For new residential customers only. No annual contract required. Prices shown are before taxes and fees and require autopay and paperless billing. Standard month to month pricing.
CenturyLink: Speed may not be available in your area. Maximum download/upload speed of up to 940 Mbps via a wired connection. Paperless billing required. Taxes and fees apply. Offer details. Offer includes professional installation at customer’s eligible location.
Metronet: Offers available to new residential customers only and may not be combined with other offers. MetroNet reserves the right to revoke or modify offers at any time. Taxes, fees, and other terms apply.
Optimum: w/Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Terms apply. Not available in all areas.
Frontier: w/ Auto Pay & Paperless Bill. Per month. One-year agreement, early termination fee, and one-time charge apply. Max speeds are wired. Wi-Fi, actual & average speeds vary.

Cable internet

Cable internet relies on coaxial cables—the same connection you use to watch cable TV. It’s a step down from fiber internet, but you’ll likely get broadband speeds if there’s cable internet in your rural community.

With assistance from fiber technology, cable home internet plans now run as fast as 1,000 Mbps. But your internet provider might offer only slower plans if your home is far away from the node where the fiber internet support ends.

Cable internet providers

Astound: No contract required. 24 Month Internet Pricing. Equipment priced separately. Includes $5 discount w/ ebill & autopay. Observed speeds may vary. Excludes surcharges and fees. New residential customers only.
Xfinity: For the first 24 months with no term agreement. Includes $10/mo automatic payments and paperless billing discount for 24 months.
Optimum: w/Auto Pay & Paperless Bill plus taxes with unlimited mobile plans. Terms apply. Not available in all areas
Sparklight: Equipment, taxes, fees, and any applicable surcharge extra. Actual speeds vary and are subject to equipment limitations. Wi-Fi speeds will be substantially lower.
Spectrum: Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter. Spectrum Internet® Gig promotion price is $89.99/mo; standard rates apply after yr. 1. Taxes, fees and surcharges extra and subject to change during and after the promotional period; installation/network activation, equipment and additional services are extra.
Cox: for 12 months with 1-yr. term agreement
WOW!: With AutoPay & paperless billing. Equipment, taxes, data allowance, and other fees extra.

DSL internet

DSL uses phone lines to deliver internet to your home. DSL speeds can reach over 100 Mbps in areas with a nearby fiber backbone. But many rural areas are so far removed from fiber networks that there’s no chance of broadband DSL speeds.

If DSL internet providers don’t supply the speeds you need, look into wireless and satellite internet.

DSL internet providers

Windstream: Limited-time, non-transferable offer for residential customers that may not be combined with other promotions. Credit restrictions may apply. Subject to availability.
Earthlink: with a 12 month contract.
Frontier: w/ Auto Pay and Paperless Bill per month. One-time charges apply.
Ziply: For 12 months for new customers with paperless and autopay
CenturyLink: Speed may not be available in your area. Paperless billing or prepay required. Additional taxes, fees, and surcharges apply. Get the fastest internet speed available at your location (max speed is up to 100 Mbps).

Wireless internet

While most folks use Wi-Fi routers to use wireless internet in their home, wireless technology can also send internet over greater distances. But this technology comes with more latency than wired services like cable internet, so it’s not our first pick.

Wireless internet services included fixed wireless internet, 4G LTE and 5G home internet, and mobile hotspots. Fixed wireless internet has been a rural internet solution for years, but 4G LTE home internet is still new, and the short-ranged 5G home internet is ill-suited to support the vast swaths of land in rural areas.

A mobile hotspot may still be available if the providers in the table below don’t offer service in your rural community. Use Cellmapper to find the mobile provider with the strongest signals to your home.

And you’re in for a treat if T-Mobile has a strong signal in your area. The Calyx Institute, a nonprofit devoted to privacy technology, uses T-Mobile’s network for its yearly mobile hotspot subscription. With Calyx Internet, you get wireless internet service, a 4G Wi-Fi hotspot, and unlimited internet data starting at $500 yearly.

Wireless internet providers

Rise Broadband: With successful activation. Offer available to new customers only. Limited-time offer. May not be combined with other offers. All prices are with Auto-payment enabled and are $5/month more without Auto-payment. Additional fees will apply. Service not available in all areas. Call for details and availability. Restrictions apply.
Verizon 5G: w/ Auto Pay and select 5G mobile plans. Available in select areas.
T-Mobile 5G: w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.

Satellite internet

Satellite internet is a long-time staple of the rural internet world. Using satellites in orbit and satellite receiving dishes at customers’ homes, satellite internet connects remote areas beyond the reach of wired internet.

With high costs, excessive latency, limited speeds, and tiny data allowances, satellite internet isn’t an ideal solution. But it’s better than nothing if you don’t have other internet options.

Satellite internet providers

Hughesnet: Offer for 12 months. Service plans require a 24-month commitment. Equipment Lease or Purchase fees extra. Service plans require a 24-month commitment. Equipment Lease or Purchase fees extra.
Viasat: Prices and availability vary by location. Installation fees, monthly equipment lease fees, and taxes may apply. After 100 GB of High-Speed Data usage, you still have unlimited access to Standard Data, which may result in slower speed.
Starlink: Plus hardware, shipping & handling fees, and tax. Fully refundable. Depending on location, some orders may take 6 months or more to fulfill.

Rural internet alternatives

If the internet services above don’t reach your home or adequately support your internet needs, you may want to consider less traditional options.

Tech savvy rural internet users may employ network bonding to improve their home internet speeds. But network bonding can be expensive, so you may prefer taking the trip into town to use library programs and public access points.

Network bonding

Network bonding is a pricey rural internet solution—to kick things off, you have to pay for two or more internet plans, which might cost you upwards of $100 a month. Using network bonding equipment or software, you can take advantage of the plans’ combined internet speeds, data allowance, and reliability across all your devices.

Some folks who travel in their RVs use network bonding with hotspot plans from different wireless providers. They can travel more confidently, knowing they’ll automatically connect to the strongest wireless network in the area, be it AT&T, T-Mobile, or Verizon.

If you want to dive into network bonding, check out Speedify and OpenMPTCProuter. Speedify is a straightforward, user-friendly software, but it costs $14.99 monthly—less if you get a yearly plan. OpenMPTCProuter is free but requires a lot of technical know-how.

Rural public library internet

Public libraries play an essential role in keeping rural communities connected. Internet-related services vary by location, but you should ask your local library about these services:

• Loanable wireless hotspots
• Loanable laptops
• Public Wi-Fi access points
• Technology classes

Public Wi-Fi access points

Like public libraries, other organizations in your community may offer public Wi-Fi access points. Locations to check out include restaurants, community centers, and government buildings.

Use the Wiman app to find free Wi-Fi hotspots near you, then sidle on up with your Wi-Fi-compatible device to get connected.

Financial support for rural internet

Recent estimates put the nonmetro poverty rate at 15.4 percent, higher than the 11.9 percent metro poverty rate.³ If your household is at or below 135% of the national poverty guidelines, you should check out the Lifeline program.

Along with the Lifeline program, various internet provider initiatives also offer internet discounts to Americans with low income. Here’s an overview of the programs we cover in detail with our “Free and Low-Income Internet Guide.”

Affordable Connectivity Program

The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) used to offer $30 monthly off internet service for qualifying low-income households. And if you were among the 18 percent of tribal lands residents who don’t have internet access⁴, you could qualify for a $75 monthly discount.

However, the FCC has halted signups fo the ACP as of February 7, 2024, with an estimated end date for the program of April 2024. Find out more details on our low-income internet page.

Lifeline program

The Lifeline program has been around longer than the Affordable Connectivity Program was, but it’s still a great alternative now that the ACP is ending. It’s also a little harder to qualify for than the ACP was, but you can use it to save $9.25 monthly on internet or phone—$34.25 monthly if you live on tribal lands. Learn more about how to qualify for the Lifeline program.

Provider-specific discounts

Some internet providers offer internet plans with prices as low as $9.95 monthly for qualifying customers. Combine these deals with a Lifeline discount and you might end up paying nothing for internet.

The discounts and qualification requirements vary between providers. Head to the “Free and Low-Income Internet Guide” to compare your options.

Computer equipment for low-income households

If you need new internet equipment to stay connected, check out the nonprofits ConnectAll and PCs for People. These organizations recycle and refurbish used computer equipment at a discounted rate for low-income households. PCs for People also offers a wireless internet plan for $15 monthly.

Future of rural internet

While your area might not have broadband internet service right now, wired internet networks may be coming your way. The FFC’s Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) will award up to $20.4 billion to bring internet to rural America, though it’s had some setbacks due to inaccurate planning.⁵

But you don’t have to sit back and wait for the FCC and internet providers to solve the digital divide. We’ve seen private Americans build their own fiber internet companies⁶ and rural communities come together to form municipality-owned networks. Here are programs to support you in bringing broadband to your community:

ReConnect Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers hundreds of millions in loans and grants to build and improve broadband internet access in rural America. While corporations can apply for assistance, so can co-ops, local governments, and Indian tribes.

Becoming Broadband Ready Toolkit

The nonprofit Next Century Cities has helped over 220 municipalities grow internet networks. Its Becoming Broadband Ready Toolkit collects learnings from its successful broadband expansions to walk you through building better broadband in your community.

Final take

Broadband is essential for work, education, telehealth, and personal connection in rural America. To find every internet provider in your area, check out the comprehensive database from our pals at HighSpeedInternet.com.

Whether you can find a solid wired internet connection in your rural community or this is the kick-off of your municipality-owned network crusade, we wish you the best in your rural internet journey.

Rural internet FAQ

Methodology

Our internet service experts have spent years researching internet providers and trends. For this article, we spent weeks delving into rural internet resources from corporations, nonprofits, government agencies, and online communities.

Sources

1. Survey conducted by CableTV.com via online survey between September 12th and 14th, 2022. Credibility margin of -3/+3%.
2. FCC, “2020 Broadband Deployment Report,” June 2020. Accessed September 9, 2022.
3. Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, “Rural Poverty & Well-Being,” updated March 7, 2022. Accessed September 9, 2022.
4. American Indian Policy Institute, Arizona State University, “Tribal Broadband Resources,” February 2, 2022. Accessed September 9, 2022.
5. Karl Bode and Ry Marcattilio-McCracken, Community Networks, “The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Auction: One Year Later,” February 6, 2022. Accessed September 9, 2022.
6. S. Dent, Engadget, “The man who built his own ISP to avoid huge fees is expanding his service,” August 11, 2022. Accessed September 9, 2022.