You May Not Be Stuck With the Cable Monopoly

New internet providers are coming online all the time, and there’s a good chance you have more options at your address than you realize (especially if you haven’t shopped in a year or two).

What you can get is still tied to your specific address, but here’s what’s changed since we were all stuck with a single cable internet provider.

I’ll get into all the reasons why you may have options below. But if it’s TL;DR, I get it. Jump into the tool below to see all your options instantly.

Market forces mean more options and lower prices

Every home and business needs reliable internet these days, and that means a lot of companies out there are trying to earn your business.

The great news? The competition has led to lower prices for internet service, even with the old cable monopolies.

Each of the following is offering low prices on plans that are fast enough for the average household, and each one has some kind of price guarantee:

• Astound is offering an incredible price for life deal on gigabit plans on new cable and fiber internet plans
• Optimum is offering a five-year price lock on new cable and fiber internet plans
• Xfinity is offering a five-year price lock on new cable internet plans
• Spectrum is offering a price lock of up to three years with certain internet and TV bundles on new cable and fiber internet plans
• Frontier is offering price locks of three, four, or five years depending on which fiber internet speed you choose

Seriously, you can probably get a month of fast internet service for less than a tank of gas.

Low prices on offer from major cable internet companies

Low prices are great, but having options is even better. It’s 2026, and you don’t have to default to your local cable provider anymore. Keep reading to understand why.

5G home internet doesn’t require wiring all the way to your home

Fixed wireless home internet from 5G providers works using excess capacity from local cell towers, so there’s no need to rip up your lawn or string cables overhead. Instead, you just plug an internet gateway into a power source and set it up by a window, and you’re good to go.

Advancements in 5G technology mean faster speeds, better latency, and less congestion than ever, making it a real alternative to traditional wired internet. If you bundle with mobile services from one of the big providers (Verizon, T-Mobile, or AT&T), you could get into a home internet plan for as little as $35 per month.

Fiber providers are building networks in areas that already have internet service

Fiber internet providers have been building new infrastructure for several years now, often in areas that already had cable or DSL infrastructure. It’s all set to ramp up as providers nationwide start getting funding from state and federal initiatives like the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program.

The takeaway for customers is that you might have access to one or more fiber internet providers even if you already have fast cable internet in your area, and you could get fiber installed for free.

The best part? Prices tend to go down when providers compete head-to-head.

Local governments are stepping in to boost competition

More than 400 municipal governments operate broadband networks, and that means competition for big-name providers. Sometimes, these municipal networks compete with private companies directly. Other times, the governments run open-access networks that act as a marketplace any provider can join.

Either way, these small networks don’t always have big marketing budgets. If you don’t hear about yours through the local news, your city newsletter, or the local parenting group, you may need a sweet provider lookup tool that lists all your local options.

Satellite internet is fast enough to compete with DSL

If you’ve been stuck with slow DSL internet and your neighborhood’s not wired for fiber, now’s a great time to switch to a low-Earth orbit satellite provider. Starlink is the only option available right now in the U.S., but competitors like Amazon’s Leo are busy sending satellites into orbit.

Plans and prices vary, but you might be able to get free equipment if you act fast. Then, you can get reliable speeds of up to 100Mbps with latency low enough to host video calls.

There’s never been a better time to break up with your DSL.

My take: Check your local internet options often

I’ve said before that you should shop for a new internet service about twice a year. New customers get the best deals, and you can get great perks for being flexible.

My advice rests on an underlying truth—you should consider switching because now more than ever,  there’s a good chance you have multiple options for affordable, reliable service.

I also want to be upfront about the nature of competition, though. A lot of the companies offering great deals right now are in the process of merging with other companies, including the following:

• gFiber and Astound
• Verizon and Frontier
• Spectrum and Cox
• AT&T and Quantum Fiber
• T-Mobile and Metronet

All the mergers and acquisitions could mean fewer choices down the road, and prices could likely go back up. In other words, get your perks and low prices while you can.

Plans disclaimers