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Brightspeed Internet Review

New home internet provider offers DSL and fiber plans.

Brightspeed

Price: Starting at $49.00/mo.*
Speeds: 15–2,000Mbps
Data cap: None
Compare all plans

Provider star ratings are based on user reviews and our independent customer satisfaction survey.

Our Brightspeed internet review

Brightspeed provides home internet tomore than 6.5 million customers in 20 states. The company formed in 2022, when it acquired CenturyLink’s DSL customer base. Since then, Brighstpeed has been busy building new fiber-to-the-home internet connections in at least 13 states. With the help of federal BEAD funding and private investment, it hopes to provide fiber internet to more than 50% of homes and small businesses it its territory.

Today, Brightspeed’s DSL offerings are a decent option if you can’t get cable internet. They’re a better deal than satellite internet, and fast enough for a few connected devices at a time. Brightspeed fiber internet, on the other hand, is pretty impressive. Plans are fast and affordable, and come with no contracts or equipment fees. If you’re home is eligible, you could get speeds up to 2Gbps (2,000Mbps) for some of the lowest monthly prices we’ve seen anywhere.

 Pros

  • Affordable price for DSL internet
  • Excellent prices for fiber internet
  • No data caps or contracts

 Cons

  • Limited fiber availability
  • Equipment fees on DSL plans
  • Pricey installation fee

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Compare Brightspeed internet plans and pricing

PackagePriceTop speedView on Brightspeed site
Up to 15 Mbps$50.00/mo.*15Mbps
Internet DSL$50.00/mo.40Mbps
Internet 300$49.00/mo.300Mbps
Internet 500$59.00/mo.§500Mbps
Internet 1,000$69.00/mo.1,000Mbps
Fiber 200$49.00/mo.#200Mbps
Fiber 500$65.00/mo.#500Mbps
Fiber 1 Gig$75.00/mo.#940Mbps
Fiber 2 Gig$99.00/mo.#2,000Mbps

Brightspeed’s speeds: What’s best for you?

Brightspeed has big plans to launch fiber networks across its 20-state service area. But for now, most customers are limited to DSL plans. Tese are fast enough for browsing and email, but may not be fast enough for streaming or gaming.

Brightspeed also has a range of fiber internet plans, with speeds up to 1,000Mbps (1 Gbps). That’s fast enough for simultaneous 4K streams on multiple devices or multiple video chats, and priced right at less than $70 per month. You can save money with the 200Mbps or 500Mbps plans, both of which are plenty fast for the average home. Find out how much speed you need.

Brightspeed data caps

There are no data caps on any Brightspeed plans, whether you have DSL or Fiber internet. You can use the internet all you want without worrying about overage fees or throttled speeds.

Brightspeed availability

You can find Brightspeed in each of the 20 US states where it inherited CenturyLink DSL customers when it was founded in 2022. Now, many of those areas can also get fiber internet from Brightspeed.  Here’s a full list of states:

Where to find Brightspeed internet service

  • Texas
  • Oklahoma
  • Louisiana
  • Tennessee
  • Arkansas
  • Mississippi
  • Alabama
  • Georgia
  • South Carolina
  • North Carolina
  • Virginia
  • New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania
  • Ohio
  • Michigan
  • Kansas
  • Missouri
  • Indiana
  • Wisconsin
  • Illinois

Is Brightspeed internet available where you live?

Enter your zip code below to see a list of the top internet service providers available in your area.

Our favorite plan: Brightspeed’s DSL internet plan is the only one widely available across the 20 states where the provider has service. While it’s not the most spectacular plan in the world, it’s a great option for rural users because it doesn’t cost too much and comes with unlimited data. You don’t have to sign up for an annual contract and the speeds are solid so long as you can regularly get 25 Mbps or faster. Installation may cost up to $100 and router rental is $15 per month.

DSL has been waning in popularity in recent years, but it’s the only way to get fast-enough internet in many small towns and rural areas. We highly recommend Brightspeed if you live in a place where your only other option would be pricey satellite internet.

HSI badge deals

Brightspeed Deal

Get a $200 gift card when you sign up for a Brightspeed fiber plan.

Brightspeed internet fees

Cost
DSL equipment fee$15.00/mo. for router
Fiber equipment feeNo charge
Installation fee$100.00

Brightspeed charges fairly standard rates for installation and equipment. Most internet providers charge around $10 to $15 a month to rent a modem that can go with its service, and Brightspeed’s $15 a month fee is fair enough.

Buy your own modem/router to cut extra fees

If you want to save some money on extra fees and you have DSL internet from Brightspeed, we recommend buying your own modem and router. TP-Link’s Archer AX10 is our recommendation because it’s efficient, easy to use, and affordable.

Read more about router options from our expert library:

If you have fiber internet from Brightspeed, there are no monthly fees for equipment. You won’t save money by using your own gear.

Brightspeed internet installation, equipment, and contracts

Brightspeed installation may cost up to $100, whether you’re getting a new DSL connection or a new fiber connection.

Brightspeed internet contracts

Brightspeed doesn’t have any contracts on its internet plans. You can cancel any time; no need to worry about early termination fees.

Brightspeed internet customer ratings

Overall RatingReliability RatingCustomer Service RatingSpeed RatingPrice Rating
Brightspeed customer satisfaction rating3.13.13.23.23.2
Average rating*3.7/53.7/53.6/53.8/53.4/5

Since Brightspeed is a new internet provider, 2023 is the first year it appeared in our  annual customer satisfaction survey. Brightspeed scored below average in the survey, but something to consider is that while Brightspeed offers fiber plans, the bulk of it’s customers have DSL. This internet type provides slower speeds at a price point that many pay for decent fiber plans and this could contribute to customers rating Brightspeed with lower than average scores.

See what other Brightspeed customers are saying

We like to collect our own data around customer experience—and we’re especially eager to hear from Brightspeed customers since the provider is brand new. If you’re a new Brightspeed customer, take a moment to fill our Customer Review form and let us know about your experience.

Read Reviews

How Brightspeed compares to the competition

ProviderStarting priceTop speedsOrder online
Brightspeed $49.00/mo.*2,000Mbps
Xfinity $19.99/mo.2,000MbpsView Plans
Spectrum $24./mo.1,000MbpsView Plans
AT&T
$55.00/mo.§5,000 MbpsView Plans

As the new kid on the block, Brightspeed has some stiff competition to face off against—and honestly, the rivals look like the better picks in most cases. Cable providers like Xfinity and Spectrum have better customer satisfaction ratings, get you faster speeds, and have lower prices on some plans. However, prices go up after 12 months on some plans so it might be worth it to shop again in a year.

Both AT&T and Brightspeed offer fiber internet, but only in certain areas. Everywhere else, its DSL. Fiber is faster, more reliable, and much more cost effective, but DSL often costs as much every month. However, Brightspeed’s DSL is slightly cheaper than AT&T’s DSL. 

Is Brightspeed internet right for you?

If you came to Brightspeed as a CenturyLink customer, we think it’s well worth sticking around. You’re basically getting the same service on the same network for the same price. If you’re a brand new customer, Brightspeed may be worth a try if you live in a small city or rural area where otherwise you’d be stuck with satellite internet. Brightspeed’s prices are fair and you don’t have to worry about contracts or data caps.

But we’re still a little curious to see how Brightspeed shapes out for the long term. In a world of novel 5G approaches and expanding satellite options, it’s taking a relatively traditional approach with its $2 billion plan to unfurl a fiber-optic network.

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FAQ about Brightspeed

What is Brightspeed?

Disclaimers

Methodology

Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet service provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.