The American Customer Satisfaction Index released its annual study, based on over 25, 000 customer interviews, revealing how we actually feel about our internet service providers. The good news for ISPs is that things are improving. Nevertheless, ISPs scored 71 on the ACSI’s 100-point level– an increase of three points over 2023 and the highest tally since the ACSI started measuring Companies in 2013. The not-so-good information? Internet service providers also rank at the bottom of the index, just ahead of subscription TV services, but below somewhat controversial industries such as airlines, hospitals, US postal services and social media companies.
If you dig into the figures, which we do, given that we incorporate them into our evaluation of internet providers, you can show a more complex tale. In 2023, the ACSI first classified customer fulfillment into grain and nonfiber, and that trend continued until 2024. Unsurprisingly, ISPs that offer fiber internet service, which is faster and more constant than other , scored considerably higher, notching a 76 compared with 68 for nonfiber Companies. However, even half of US households have access to fiber,  , . And while regional and national telecoms are continuing to expand their reach, fiber’s rollout has been delayed and confined to larger towns and larger metro areas.
The ISP with the highest customer satisfaction rating is AT&, T Fiber, which edged out the popular service, , which took the second area. Second place was currently held by CenturyLink Fiber ( then known as ), , and . These findings fit strongly with our view: , and AT&, T top our entire list of fiber providers, though our recommendations vary by particular location. We have, after all, reviewed internet service providers in over 400 cities in the US.
According to CNET, fiber is more trustworthy, less susceptible to interruptions during high usage periods, and, most importantly, extremely quick for data upload and download. In fact, many national ISPs now boast , and . I don’t know that anyone needs service that fast, but it sure sounds cool.
The price gap is closing even though fiber plans typically cost more than . Fiber plans typically cost about$ 50, but plans typically cost between$ 25 and$ 30 per month. Having said that, fiber typically offers a lower than other connection types.
and , two of the top nonfiber providers, placed second and third in ACSI’s 2024 ranking significantly higher than the average nonfiber internet provider. “5G satisfaction scores were on par with fiber in some regions”, Forrest Morgeson, director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI, said in a press release. The two businesses ‘ consistently rank among the best in many of the hundreds of cities that CNET has evaluated as well.
The provider with the lowest ACSI score in this year’s field was , which got tagged with a 56 score, a whopping 20 % drop from last year. Call center satisfaction was the lowest-rated area among all ISPs, so it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the precipitous decline.
We’ll continue to monitor how ISPs are doing with customers throughout the year, including , and the J. D. Power annual survey. ( Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis. )