One of the main issues people face when deciding whether to cut the cord is how they’ll have access to the Internet from home if they cancel their cable TV subscription.
So many cable companies bundle Internet access with cable TV and landline phone subscriptions. But sometimes it can be challenging to find a company that offers Internet access only.
However, there are options out there. When our family moved from the city onto a hobby farm about 45 minutes out of the metropolitan area, there was only one choice for cable.
Being we’d decided to ditch the cable subscription after we moved, we were no longer interested in doing business with the one available provider.
Luckily, there was a provider who would give us Internet access and landline phone access without having to purchase cable too.
In This Article
How to Get Internet Without Cable
These types of companies exist all over the country. Here is a list of some of the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) who will give you Internet access in your home without having to purchase a cable package.
1. AT&T
AT&T has packages that include the Internet and Direct TV. Plus, they have an Internet-only plan. The Internet only plan AT&T offers is $50 per month and provides Internet speeds of up to 100 Mbps.
AT&T internet is available in a variety of states currently, including:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Nevada
- Texas
- Michigan
And more. Contact AT&T via the link above for more information.
2. Verizon Fios
Verizon Fios Internet-only service is currently available widely on the East Coast in states such as New York, Virginia, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and a few more options.
You can choose from a couple of different plans with Verizon Fios.
The Verizon $39.99 Plan
This plan with Verizon costs, as you probably have guessed, $39.99 per month. You get up to 200 Mbps with this plan, which should be more than enough for avid users.
This exclusive online deal is a 1-year commitment (or they have a 2-year commitment to waive the setup fee as well) and saves you $10 a month off the regular price.
The Verizon $59.99 Plan
Verizon’s $59.99 plan will give you up to 400Mbps per month. This plan should be sufficient for multiple users or sharing large files.
The Verizon $79.99 Plan
Verizon’s $79.99 plan will give you up to 940/880 Mbps of speed. As with the other plans, this is a 1-year commitment offer. However, if you choose a 2-year commitment, Verizon will waive the setup fee for you.
3. Xfinity Residential
Affordable contract-free home internet starts at $30 per month with Xfinity Residential. To get this low rate, you may need to add an Xfinity Mobile cell phone plan and choose a slower connection speed (300 mbps).
Faster speeds cost more and the fastest speed is 1200 Mbps. Advanced internet equipment and free router upgrades can also cost extra.
Your internet service has a two-year price guarantee and includes the necessary internet equipment. For example, you receive a free Flex 4K streaming box to broadcast your favorite shows on your smart TV.
The internet router also includes the Xfinity 6E WiFi technology which is faster than the normal 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. This ultrasonic band has a quicker connection speed for paired devices and 4K video streaming.
It’s also possible to add a cable TV subscription and a home security package.
4. FreedomPop
FreedomPop provides wireless Internet for users via a hotspot. A hotspot is a wireless access point available in a public location, but you can use them in your home.
With the FreedomPop Internet service, you can choose from a variety of plans to get Internet access. Here are the details of their different plans.
Basic Plan
FreedomPop’s basic plan is free – yes, it costs nothing. You get 500 MBs of data per month on this plan, and additional data is charged at $0.02 per MB. This plan allows access to the 4G network only. Not a lot of usage time here, but it is a legitimate way to get free Internet.
Pro 500 Plan
The Pro 500 Plan offers the 500 MB of data per month, but at $3.99 per month. The difference between this and the basic plan? You get access to both 4G and 3G networks. Additional data is the same charge of $0.02 per MB.
Premium 3GB Plan
This plan costs $28.99 per month and offers users 3GB of data and 3G and 4G network access. Additional data costs $0.015 per MB.
Premium 4GB Plan
FreedomPop’s 4GB plan comes with 4GB of data, access to both the 3G and 4G networks, and costs $34.99 per month. Additional data costs the same $0.015 per MB.
Premium 5GB Plan
With this plan, you get 5GB of data for $39.99 per month and access to both 3G and 4G networks. Additional data costs $0.015 per MB.
Premium 10GB Plan
This is FreedomPop’s biggest plan. For $74.99 per month, you get 10GB of data accessible on both the 4G and 3G networks. Additional data costs the same $0.015 per MB.
Note: Some people (rightly) have concerns about hotspot security – hotspots can be a “hacker’s paradise,” according to some. Check out this article on hotspot security for more information on protecting yourself when using a hotspot.
5. Boost Mobile
Boost Mobile provides internet courtesy of a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot too. They’ve only got one plan, and it’s a great deal at just $50 a month for 50GB of data.
Boost Mobile uses a 4G LTE network, and you can bring your hotspot wherever you go. And for those who want more data, Boost Mobile gives you the option to purchase additional data packs.
Note that as with many hotspot plans, you need to purchase a broadband device directly from Boost Mobile to use their hotspot Wi-Fi services.
6. Google Fiber
Google Fiber provides Internet access to customers in cities around the U.S. and is steadily expanding.
They provide service in a variety of large cities, including:
- Atlanta
- Charlotte
- Denver
- Miami
- Chicago
- Los Angeles
- Boston
Google Fiber plans and costs vary depending on which city you live in. As an example, in Kansas City, you can choose from five different Google Fiber Plans:
Fiber 100
The Fiber 100 plan costs $50 per month and provides up to 100 Mbps of speed. You can use 5+ devices with this plan, and there are no data caps. It takes about six minutes to download an entire HD movie with this plan.
Fiber 1000
The Fiber 1000 plan costs $70 per month and provides up to 1000 Mbps of speed. You can use 10+ devices with this plan, and downloading is much faster at 40 seconds for an entire HD movie. No data caps here either.
There are other Google Fiber plans in the Kansas City area, but they all come with TV subscriptions.
7. Frontier Communications
Frontier Communications is the company we use for ISP service. Their headquarters are based in New York City, but they provide service to various parts of the country. For Internet service only you can choose from a few different plans.
Simply Broadband Core
The Simply Broadband Core plan costs $20 per month (with a 2-year agreement) and will give you Internet up to 6 Mbps and a free Wi-Fi router for two years. This plan is a good one for light users.
Simply Internet Ultra
The Simply Internet Ultra plan costs $25 per month (with a 2-year agreement) and will give you Internet speeds up to 12 Mbps. This plan is suitable for gamers and streamers who need more speed.
Simply Internet Elite
The Simply Internet Elite plan costs $40 per month (same 2-year agreement) and will give you Internet speeds up to 24 Mbps. This plan is best for high users who run multiple devices at the same time.
Note that with Frontier and all ISP providers, not all plans are available in all areas. If you live in a more rural area as we do, you might be stuck with a lower Mbps plan depending on the type of equipment installed in your area.
For years, because of our rural location, we were stuck with the Core plan through Frontier but got upgraded last year due to county-wide upgrades to the Ultra plan.
8. CenturyLink
CenturyLink Internet service is available in over 30 U.S. states currently, including:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Florida
- Idaho
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington
And more. Although prices and plans and speeds can vary by state, Century Link does share its basic plans on their website. Here are the details:
CenturyLink Simply Unlimited Internet
This plan offers speeds of up to 100 Mbps and costs $50 per month. This is a no-contract plan according to the site.
CenturyLink Fiber Gigabit Plan
This plan offers speeds of up to 940 Mbps and costs $65. Century Link says this plan will allow users to stream multiple HD movies at once.
Note that CenturyLink plans and speeds in your area may differ and prices do not include taxes, fees or surcharges.
9. WOW Internet
WOW Internet offers services in parts of several states, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and South Carolina.
They have several Internet service plans available to choose from. However, note that all plans may not be available in all areas. Here are their current plans in the Illinois area.
Internet 200
The Internet 200 plan provides up to 200 Mbps of speed and costs $44.99 per month. This plan is best for households with one to three users.
Internet 500
The Internet 500 plan provides 500 Mbps of speed and costs $54.99 per month. This plan is the one WOW Internet suggests for gamers and homes with multiple users and streamers. Upload speed is 50 Mbps with this plan.
Internet 1000
This is WOW Internet’s biggest plan. It provides 1000 Mbps of speed and costs $74.99 per month. Upload speed is 50 Mbps – same as with the Internet 500 plan. This package is suggested for large file sharing, power streaming and VR gaming.
Note that all of the WOW Internet plans require 2-year contracts except for the Internet 10 plan.
Lots to choose from with this rapidly expanding company.
10. DSL Extreme
DSL Extreme offers its TrueStream Internet service packages in a variety of states, including parts of California, Alabama, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, South Carolina and more.
You can choose from several different Internet service packages with this company. I’m not going to outline all of them in this post, but I will hit on some that seem to target the majority of users.
Express
This plan offers 1.5 Mbps of speed and costs $24.95 per month. Upload speed is 384 kbps. With this speed, it could take you as long as 3+ hours to download a movie.
Pro 3.0
The Pro 3.0 plan offers up to 3.0 Mbps of speed and costs $24.95 per month. The upload speed with this plan is 512 kbps.
Elite
Now we’re getting somewhere. This plan offers up to 7.1 Mbps of speed for $44.95 per month.
There may be a few other plans sprinkled in with their offerings as well, depending on where you live. Note that all plans are not available in all areas.
Summary
Luckily, we live in a time where we no longer have to be tied to a cable subscription to get Internet service. Save yourself some cash by using one of the ISPs mentioned here today, and cut the cord for good!
