What's the Best Broadband ISP?

The Rankings

There's little doubt as to the best U.S. broadband ISP, according to our readers -- Verizon FiOS wins by a wide margin. Overall, its users rated it at 4.4 out of 5, far better than the five other ISPs, which are bunched together in their ratings, with Cox Communications at a 3.9 rating, Time Warner at 3.8, AT&T and Verizon DSL tied at 3.7, and Comcast, the worst-rated ISP of all, at a lowly 3.5.

Breaking down the results by category, Verizon FiOS was either first or tied for first every time, and sometimes by a wide margin.

Where Verizon FiOS really stood out, though, was in connection reliability and speed. Its connection reliability was rated overall at 4.8, compared with runner-up Cox Communications at 4.3. Its download speed was rated 4.7, compared with runner-up Cox Communications at 4.2. Similarly, upload speed was rated at 4.5, compared with runner-up Cox Communications at 3.7.

This should come as no surprise; the Verizon FiOS connection provides dedicated service to homes via high-speed fiber-optic lines. With cable companies, you share your broadband with everyone on your node, and with DSL, you get a dedicated connection, but typically over copper cable for a slower connection. (See Fiber to the home: 'It's insanely better.'.)

• What You Think About Broadband Service
• The Rankings
  
  
  No. 1     No. 2     No. 3     No. 4     No. 5     No. 6
  

• The Wrap-up
• How the Survey Was Conducted and Graded