Getting reliable internet service is essential for our modern digital world, whether it‘s for work video calls, streaming movies, or gaming online with friends. With so many of us spending more time at home lately, having quality high-speed internet is more critical than ever.
The good news is most of us here in Florida have a range of home internet providers available thanks to extensive cable and new fiber connections broadly available to over 96% of households across the Sunshine State.
But all internet plans certainly aren’t equal. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare speed tiers, pricing, availability, and other key factors among 10 major internet providers offering service across different regions of Florida:
- AT&T
- EarthLink
- Frontier
- CenturyLink
- Xfinity
- Cox
- Mediacom
- Spectrum
- Windstream
- WOW!
Armed with this detailed overview, you‘ll be able to zero in on the perfect internet provider for your particular needs and location in our great state. Shall we get started?
Internet Provider Overview for Florida
Before we dive into the specific plans, first here‘s a quick snapshot of how our major providers break down in Florida across three key categories:
- Fiber vs Cable Service – Fiber connectivity comes through dedicated fiber optic lines delivering the fastest speeds, while cable sends data through the same infrastructure used for cable TV. Many providers offer both options contingent on availability to your address.
- Download Speed Ranges – Entry level tiers provide adequate speeds for basic usage, while gigabit+ service enables advanced applications like 4K streaming across multiple devices. Sweet spot plans balance affordability and performance.
- Availability Regions – While most providers offer statewide service, some focus more heavily on specific metro areas while rural availability may be spotty.
Now let‘s explore the details of plans, pricing, and availability region-by-region across our favorite providers. We‘ll tackle this categorized by the technologies utilized, starting with the superior speeds of fiber…
Fiber Internet Providers & Plans
Fiber internet delivers the fastest speeds by far using dedicated fiber optic cables rather than shared coaxial lines. This allows for symmetrical speeds with equal performance whether uploading or downloading data.
While we‘d all love access to fiber speeds, availability is still limited due to the extensive infrastructure required for fiber rollouts. As of 2023, around 36% of Florida households had access to at least one fiber internet provider according to FCC data. Let‘s look at some of the top options:
AT&T Fiber
As one of the largest telecoms investing heavily in fiber, AT&T offers fiber connectivity to over 5 million homes and businesses across Florida. We‘ll break down AT&T fiber availability and plans by region:
Central & North Florida – Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee
- Internet 300 (300 Mbps) – $55/month
- Internet 500 (500 Mbps) – $65/month
- Internet 1000 (1Gbps) – $80/month
Southeast Florida – Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach
- Same plans as above
- Additional 2 Gbps & 5 Gbps tiers
AT&T fiber requires a 12 month contract with $99 installation fee, but often waive fees for new subscribers. Bundling with other AT&T services can also lower pricing.
EarthLink Fiber
While not as widely available as AT&T fiber, EarthLink offers blazing fast symmetrical 5 Gbps fiber speeds to select regions of Florida for an incredible value.
Jacksonville & Northeast Florida
- 50 Mbps – $44.95/month
- 100 Mbps – $49.95/month
- 5 Gbps (5000 Mbps)! – $54.95/month
South Florida
- 100 Mbps – $49.95/month
- 1 Gbps – $59.95/month
- 5 Gbps – $89.95/month
EarthLink fiber pricing includes all equipment, taxes and fees, and requires no contracts.
Frontier Fiber
Frontier has focused heavily on fiber upgrades across Florida in recent years. While they may not match AT&T‘s statewide presence yet, Frontier Fiber still reaches many suburbs and smaller communities.
- Fiber 500 (500 Mbps) – $49.99/month
- Fiber Gig (1 Gbps) – $74.99/month
- Fiber 2 Gig (2 Gbps) – $149.99/month
Frontier fiber plans don‘t require service contracts or have installation fees. Bundling TV or adding router service does increase monthly pricing.
CenturyLink Fiber
CenturyLink Fiber takes more of a piecemeal approach with availability centered on individual multi-unit buildings rather than full neighborhoods. But if available at your address, CenturyLink fiber offers competitive gigabit speeds:
- Fiber Gig (940 Mbps) – $65/month
CenturyLink does require fiber customers to sign either 12 or 24 month contracts. Adding additional services can help lower internet pricing however.
Concierge Fiber – Blackglove, Hotwire
In a few regions of Florida, specialized local fiber startups like Blackglove Internet in Tampa Bay and Hotwire Communications in South Florida offer ultra-fast fiber connectivity competitive with the big telecoms:
Blackglove (Tampa)
- 500 Mbps – $69.99/month
- 1 Gbps – $89.99/month
- 2 Gbps – $114.99/month
Hotwire (South FL)
- 500 Mbps – $39.99/month
- 1 Gbps – $59.99/month
- 5 Gbps – $299.99/month
These "concierge" fiber builders take a customer-first approach and cater to underserved areas, though availability remains highly address dependent. Their premium pricing reflects a more tailored high-touch service methodology.
Now that you know the lay of the land for fiber internet options where available, let‘s examine the more widely available cable internet providers that make use of existing cable TV infrastructure…
Cable Internet Providers & Plans
While cable internet speeds generally can‘t match the benchmark performance of fiber, DOCSIS 3.1 capable cables can still deliver very solid speeds at greater availability to Florida households – as much as 923 Mbps download on supported plans!
And as you‘ll see, bundling your cable internet with a TV package and/or home phone service can yield some nice perks like discounted pricing and waived equipment fees. Let‘s explore the top cable internet providers across Florida:
Xfinity from Comcast
With around 43% market share of Florida broadband subscribers, Comcast‘s Xfinity internet service offers the broadest availability of any cable provider in the state. Xfinity Internet breaks down as:
- Connect 75 (75 Mbps) – $24.99/month
- Connect More 200 (200 Mbps) – $39.99/month
- Gigabit Extra (1.2 Gbps) – $80/month
Xfinity requires no annual contracts and provides a flexible modem upgrade path as your speed tier changes. Bundling TV and home phone services can yield discounts as much as $30/month.
Spectrum Internet
Charter‘s Spectrum Internet comes second to Xfinity with around 30% Florida market share. Notable Spectrum plans and pricing include:
- Internet (200 Mbps) – $49.99/month
- Internet Ultra (400 Mbps) – $69.99/month
- Gig (1 Gbps) – $109.99/month
Spectrum also incentivizes bundling with discounts up to $15/month when you have both internet and cable TV service. Contracts are not required to sign up for Spectrum internet.
Cox Internet
Cox provides cable internet service clustered around metro regions like Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Ocala and Gainesville, Tampa Bay, and other smaller Florida markets. Cox Internet offers several speed tiers:
- Essential 100 (100 Mbps) – $49.99/month
- Preferred 250 (250 Mbps) – $69.99/month
- Ultimate 500 (500 Mbps) – $89.99/month
- Gigablast 1 Gbps – $119/month
Note Cox internet prices shown are including temporary discounts for new subscribers. Service contracts range from 1 to 2 years for Cox.
Sparklight Internet
Formerly known as Cable One, Sparklight provides cable internet primarily across northern Florida stretching from Pensacola through Tallahassee down towards Ocala. Speed plans consist of:
- 50 Mbps – $45/month
- 100 Mbps – $65/month
- 1 Gbps – $125/month
A nice bonus is Sparklight internet pricing includes all equipment, fees and taxes to eliminate hidden charges.
WOW! Internet
WOW! offers cable internet and phone service in Pinellas county encompassing Clearwater, St. Petersburg and south to Sarasota. WOW! Florida speed tiers and pricing break down as:
- Internet 500 – $54.99/month
- Internet 1 GIG – $64.99/month
- Internet 1.2 GIG – $94.99/month
One catch to note is all WOW! internet plans carry enforced data usage limits except for the highest 1.2 Gbps tier. Going over your monthly data allowance can incur overlimit usage fees.
Beyond Cable & Fiber: DSL, Fixed Wireless, Satellite
Most Florida households have access to either cable or fiber internet. But it‘s worth touching on some alternative connections available for rural areas:
DSL Internet utilizes existing telephone infrastructure to provide basic speeds at very affordable pricing, though usually under 10-25 Mbps. Providers like AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier offer DSL service in rural spots unreached by cable or fiber.
Fixed Wireless Internet beams internet signals over radio waves from a transmitter location to antennas mounted on homes and buildings. This technology bridges gaps where cable/fiber buildouts are cost prohibitive across remote terrain. Some Florida providers offering fixed wireless broadband include Rise Broadband, Viasat and HugesNet.
Satellite Internet provides coverage virtually everywhere by bouncing signals to space and back to small receiver dishes mounted outside residences. However, latency and weather disruptions often hinder satellite capabilities. Providers like Viasat and HugesNet offer satellite internet across Florida with download speeds reaching 25 Mbps.
Okay, Let‘s Recap…
We just covered a ton of valuable intel on internet provider options across Florida. Before we dive into advice on finding the best provider for your situation, let‘s quickly recap key takeaways:
- Fiber internet offers unmatched speed and performance, with providers like AT&T Fiber and EarthLink expanding across metro regions of Florida offering up to 5 Gbps capacity
- Cable internet leverages existing cable TV infrastructure to deliver solid real-world speeds of 200-400 Mbps at greater overall availability, often bundled with nice perks when you have multiple services
- While lacking the throughput of fiber and cable, DSL, fixed wireless and satellite fill connectivity gaps in more rural areas away from major cable buildouts
- Florida enjoys 96% broadband internet coverage overall – exceeding the average across Southeastern states
Now armed with the state lay of the land, let‘s shift gears to explore what internet speed tier makes the most sense for your household…
What Internet Speed Should I Pay For?
With tiers ranging from basic 75 Mbps cable plans up to 5 Gbps residential fiber connections, what download and upload speeds do you really require? Determining your ideal bandwidth depends heavily on how your household uses the internet:
To illustrate this, here‘s a breakdown of internet plans suitable for various types of online activities across 1-3 devices simultaneously:
- Light Use (Email, Web Browsing, Social Media)
- ✅ 50 – 100 Mbps
- Mainstream (Streaming HD Video, Video Calling, Online Gaming)
- ✅ 200 – 400 Mbps
- Power User (Smart Home, Streaming 4K Video across multiple devices)
- ✅ 500 Mbps – 1 Gbps
- Advanced User (Video Editing, VR Gaming, Large File Uploads/Downloads)
- ✅ 1+ Gbps
The sweet spot for most Florida households falls in the Mainstream user range of around 200-400 Mbps. This enables smooth HD Netflix streaming, Zoom video calls, online gaming, and typical internet usage across a few devices concurrently.
Fiber and modern cable connections offer plenty of headroom to step up to higher speeds as your needs evolve over time. Just balance performance and price wisely when choosing your plan.
Comparing Internet Provider Value in Florida
Speaking of price considerations, let‘s examine which providers currently deliver the best value across Florida based on plan pricing, availability, and service quality.
We‘ll focus on competitively priced speed tiers in the mainstream 200-400 Mbps range suitable for most households.
A few key takeaways:
- Windstream Kinetic leverages growing Florida fiber footprint to lead value category
- Spectrum maintains value lead among widespread cable options
- Frontier‘s increasing fiber expansion holds nice potential, hindered only by coverage gaps
- Providers like Xfinity and AT&T strong in value when factoring additional bundle savings
- WOW!, EarthLink also score well but availability limited
Now having a handle on suitable speeds and top providers, let‘s pull this all together to outline how to choose the right internet plan for your Florida home…
How to Determine The Best Internet Provider For My Address
Here is a step-by-step process to zero in on your ideal internet service based on specific needs and location:
1. Map your exact address to verify available providers – Check availability maps from top providers or use comparison sites like Allconnect or BroadbandNow. This will ID your viable options.
2. Research plans & pricing – Dig into the details from sections above on speeds tiers, bundling options, and current promos from each eligible provider.
3. Align speed capacity to usage – Do you need 200 Mbps? 500 Mbps? 1 Gbps? Choose suitable bandwidth for devices, streaming, gaming, etc.
4. Compare overall value – Weigh monthly costs against performance, availability, customer satisfaction and additional services like TV bundles.
Still uncertain what internet service makes the most sense? I suggest calling a few providers directly to discuss needs and address-specific offers. Speaking 1-on-1 with knowledgeable reps can provide welcome guidance when choosing between plans.
I sincerely hope this comprehensive guide has helped narrow your best Florida internet provider options! Please reach out with any other questions. Time to get connected!
