LocalCableDeals Broadband Customer Satisfaction Report 2024

We asked 5,276 U.S. adults to rate their current internet provider. Astound Broadband powered by RCN, Fidium Fiber, and Smithville received almost perfect ratings while AT&T, Spectrum, and Xfinity stood out in terms of brand popularity, serviceability, customer retention, and outage resolution.

The LocalCableDeals Broadband Customer Satisfaction Report 2024 highlights key areas where ISPs excel and need improvement. The report aims to provide ISPs with actionable insights to improve their services and meet customer expectations while guiding consumers to make informed decisions about their internet service provider choices.

Key Findings & Insights

Broadband Customer Satisfaction Survey Overview

Finding the best internet service provider (ISP) can be incredibly challenging. To begin with, there are multiple options and the increasing number of providers only adds to this confusion.

As consumers, it's important to remember that ISPs are regional and the quality of their service and availability differs greatly depending on the area. For instance, a provider might perform well in one region but its performance may not be the same in another neighborhood.

For this reason, it is crucial to consult local customer reviews to make an informed decision. This is where the LocalCableDeals Broadband Customer Satisfaction Report becomes invaluable. The report provides comprehensive insights into the performance of various ISPs from a customer-centric point of view, considering the following key variables:

• Speed
• Pricing
• Reliability
• Customer Service

The report also evaluates specific attributes like bundling options, outage responsiveness, and connection type.

Astound Broadband powered by RCN, Fidium Fiber, and Smithville leads in overall ratings, achieving the highest scores across all competitive benchmarks.

Methodology

In an effort to better understand the broadband market and what American consumers think about their current broadband internet service providers, LocalCableDeals conducted a Broadband Customer Satisfaction Survey, covering 5,276 U.S. adults from January 6 to May 16, 2024.

The survey investigated specific aspects of services consumers were purchasing from regional and national broadband providers and identified areas where customers were satisfied or dissatisfied. Respondents were asked to rate their current ISP on various aspects of service, including pricing, customer service, reliability, and speed. They were also asked to answer various questions regarding broadband customer service experience.

The survey was conducted with the help of Survey Monkey using address-based sampling of LocalCableDeals' website visitors. The sample population comprised the adult U.S. population across 43 states with demographic segmentation based on age, gender, device, region, and household income. Data analysis involved calculating average ratings for each ISP and identifying common themes in customer feedback.

The chart highlights the main reasons consumers switch their internet service providers.

Price, relocation, and speed emerged as the top three drivers of customer sentiment, where variables such as price and speed are directly related to broadband products and services while moving is directly associated with the consumer's lifestyle.

By analyzing this data, ISPs can gain valuable insights into customer behavior, enabling them to improve their services, and subsequently retain more customers. Here is a breakdown of key factors and their implications:

1. Price (33.87%):

Price is the most important factor for switching providers. The stats highlight that many consumers are price-sensitive and seek better deals at lower costs.

Our results indicate that AT&T, Spectrum, and Xfinity are the most cost-effective providers that offer competitive pricing to attract budget-conscious consumers.

2. Relocation (19.85%):

We also found that a significant number of customers switch ISPs due to `moving. This suggests the importance of having a wide coverage area, where each ISP can improve customer retention by offering easy transfer of services.

In this case, AT&T, Spectrum, and Xfinity rank highest in service transfers and customer retention because of their broad coverage and accessibility.

3. Speed (12.50%)

Speed emerged as the third most important broadband-related factor. With the rise of multiuser households, remote work, live gaming, 4K streaming, and smart home technologies, its importance cannot be overstated. 

Just like the other factors, AT&T, remain the top consumer choice for speed.  

Highest Customer Loyalty

AT&T, Spectrum, and Xfinity stand out for availability, serviceability, and reach in our survey with almost customer responses in their favor. They also have the highest customer retention and conversion rate among all other providers.

Here’s how the top five brands rank in customer retention and acquisition:

Spectrum has the highest customer acquisition rate among all brands, with Optimum following in a strong second place. For brand loyalty and retention, Optimum, Xfinity, and Spectrum lead the market, while Cox and AT&T hold the 4th and 5th positions, respectively.

Top ISPs in terms of Pricing

Smithville, Astound Broadband powered by RCN, and Fidium Fiber led our polls in terms of pricing and overall value.

Based on the survey results, national-level ISPs like Spectrum and Xfinity ranked below the average approval rating. By comparison, r with more than 80% positive approval ratings.

Tops ISPs in terms of Customer Service

Astound Broadband powered by RCN, Fidium Fiber, and Kinetic by Windstream are the top-rated providers for customer support experience.

Spectrum and Xfinity report marginally better customer service ratings. However, they are still narrowly behind the average approval ratings. AT&T again maintains a positive 82.4% approval rating among market leaders.

Other notable mentions among market challengers comprise local fiber-powered networks including, Ziply Fiber, Smithville, and Altafiber.

Top ISPs in terms of Reliability

Smithville, Fidium Fiber, , and Kinetic by Windstream are recognized as the most reliable ISPs due to their minimal downtime. As fiber providers, they possess significant advantages over cable and DSL competitors.

Xtream powered by Mediacom is the only cable internet provider on this list. Notably, for its effective management of customer issues and network performance during critical times.

Top ISPs in terms of Speed

Astound Broadband powered by RCN, Fidium Fiber, and Optimum are the top-rated providers for internet speed, thanks to their gig-size networks. 

Out of all five, AT&T and Kinetic by Windstream offer the highest speeds. A number that will eventually normalize for all internet providers over time with increasing fiber penetration.

The numbers indicate that 39.34% of consumers prefer an internet-only plan as it allows them to cut down on additional costs of bundling TV and Phone. On top of it, everything they need is accessible online making the standalone internet plans a simpler and more flexible choice.

Based on respondent feedback, the top four bundling choices are as follows:

This percentage indicates that more than one-third of the surveyed customers faced disruptions in their internet service recently.

This underscores another critical area of dissatisfaction among broadband consumers, highlighting the urgent need for infrastructural improvements to minimize disruptions and enhance service reliability.

Based on these findings, we created another benchmark for customer satisfaction, where providers with fewer outages can be rated higher in customer satisfaction while those with frequent outages can be ranked lower.

For this purpose, we asked the respondents to rate the outage resolution of their current providers. Here is what we found:

Most internet providers including Astound Broadband powered by RCN, Kinetic by Windstream, Smithville, and Hawaiian Telcom have the best overall outage resolution response rate. However, major providers like AT&T, Spectrum, and Xfinity, despite having a higher number of total respondents, are not far behind.

Fiber vs. Non-Fiber

When it comes to individual provider ratings, fiber providers bask in the spotlight while cable, DSL, and satellite providers seem to be the target of most consumer frustration. This is one of the reasons why two of the nation’s biggest broadband service providers, Xfinity and Spectrum, ranked below-average customer satisfaction ratings.

Satellite internet ranks the lowest due to its slower speeds, higher cost, sluggish network, data caps, and persistent reliability issues compared to more established connection types.

Meanwhile, non-fiber or cable internet providers maintain an average overall rating because of their wide availability and concentration in metropolitan areas where the leading fiber providers have set high standards.

With such tough competition, the Fiber Broadband Association predicts that eventually, all legacy providers will transition to fiber to stay competitive within their markets.

Internet Trends & Insights 2024

Next-Gen Customer Experience (CX):

The solution? A personalized next-gen CX that can deliver the wow moment and effectively resolve consumer concerns in real-time before they even report them.

Many ISPs are already working on such measures like proactive bill shock management. However, adopting this approach more widely, along with other next-gen consumer solutions, can greatly improve customer satisfaction and retention.

New Speed Benchmarks:

In an interesting ruling, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has raised the minimum broadband download speeds to 100 Mbps and upload speeds to 20 Mbps across the US. The body has also set a 1 Gbps/500 Mbps long-term goal for the future.

The standardization of internet speeds is welcoming news for all broadband consumers who have been facing inconsistent service quality across different regions.

Broadband Labels for Every ISP Plan:

In another positive development, the FCC has made broadband consumer labels compulsory for all internet service providers that offer home, fixed internet services, or mobile broadband plans.

According to the press release, "The labels must disclose important information about broadband prices, introductory rates, data allowances, and broadband speeds. They also include links to information about network management practices and privacy policies.”

ISPs with fewer than 100,000 subscribers must comply with FCC broadband label rules by Oct. 10, 2024, to avoid penalties. Consumers can report non-compliance or inaccuracies to the FCC Consumer Complaint Center.

100% Fiber Expansion:

According to the Fiber Broadband Association’s 2023 North America Fiber Provider Survey, more than 50% of residences in the country have already transitioned to fiber internet.

Building on this momentum, internet service providers (ISPs), regulatory authorities, and the US government are working collaboratively to expand fiber connectivity to every US household, with current figures indicating a steady 13% YOY annual growth rate from 2021 to 2023.

With this consistent growth rate, it's anticipated that 100% fiber connectivity could be realized by 2030, provided there are no significant disruptions in technology adoption.

Closing Statement

Based on the recent developments in the local broadband market over the last few years, it is safe to say that most broadband consumers at LocalCableDeals are satisfied with the quality of services available to them.

Considering the results of this survey, we can conclude that providers offering the best speeds at reasonable prices are performing well and maintaining a strong market position, particularly those that are regional and relatively new to the market.

The survey also identified a significant shift in consumer mindset. Provider decisions are now primarily driven by two factors: high speeds and fair price points. One group of consumers is more open to faster speeds, bundled services, and add-ons, while the second group prioritizes price over speed and other factors.

As the broadband market and technology ecosystem evolves, new operators continue to expand steadily and establish a strong foothold in the local broadband market. While Xfinity, Spectrum, Cox, and AT&T currently hold a majority share, local providers like Fidium Fiber and Smithville are becoming increasingly competitive as their networks and mass appeal grow.

This type of competition is welcoming news for consumers who can expect significant improvement in broadband service standards in the near future. The proactive role of the FCC and the ongoing government-funded broadband expansion program will further help expand high-speed internet access and use across the US.

About this Research

This article is a collaborative effort of our in-house industry expert Nathan Barr and senior editor David Simokaitis. The fact sheet was compiled by Novelty Meza with the help of the editorial team.

For more information, visit how LocalCableDeals works and rates internet service providers.

Additional Resources

Top Internet Providers in your Area

All About Internet Speeds

Best Fiber Internet Providers 2024

Explore LocalCableDeals Resource and Blog hubs for more broadband guides and insights.

Sources

CSG Capitol Ideas Magazine (2022, Issue 2), The Council of State of Governments. Investing in Infrastructure. April 25, 2022. Accessed May 1 ^st, 2024.

RVA LLC Market Research & Consulting (RVA), Fiber Broadband Association. Fiber Deployment Annual Report. 2023. Accessed May 1 ^st, 2024.

Ana Durrani, Forbes. Top Streaming Statistics In 2024. Feb 2, 2024. Accessed May 1 ^st, 2024.

Pew Research Center. Mobile Fact Sheet. JANUARY 31, 2024. Accessed May 1 ^st, 2024.

Dominika Kampa et al., McKinsey’s Technology, Media & Telecommunications Practice. Winning in telecom CX. April 3, 2023. Accessed May 1 ^st, 2024.

Media Relations Wireline Competition, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), FCC Increases Broadband Speed Benchmark. Mar 14, 2024. Accessed May 1 ^st, 2024.

Disclaimer

This report exclusively examines the emotional experiences of customers based on collected datasets from various broadband providers. It does not provide any technical evaluations or assessments of customer service quality. The insights presented are derived from subjective customer feedback and should not be interpreted as objective measures of service performance or reliability.