In the United States, the top 125 internet service providers (ISPs) are led by fiber optic broadband businesses and cable companies. These internet service providers play a vital role in delivering internet access to a diverse range of customers, from single-family households to businesses of all sizes.

In total, the 10 largest internet service providers in the United States, including Comcast, Charter Communications, AT&T, Verizon, Cox, Altice USA, Lumen Technologies, Frontier Communications, Mediacom, and Astound Broadband, collectively have over 100 million broadband internet subscribers.

Dgtl Infra has categorized the largest 125 internet service providers in the United States into 4 groups based on several measurable market share factors, including: households passed (HHP), broadband internet subscribers, fiber optic and/or hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network route miles, and revenue in U.S. Dollars, amongst others.

Subsequently, we delve deeper into the businesses and networks of each of the top 25 internet service providers. This includes information about their broadband internet subscriber count, the geographical areas where they serve their customers, and the type of provider they are (fiber optic, cable, or a combination of both). It is important to note that Dgtl Infra’s list excludes internet service providers that solely use satellite or fixed wireless access (FWA) technologies to deliver broadband service.

Top 125 Internet Providers in the U.S.

The top 125 internet service providers (ISPs) are categorized into Group 1, Group 2, Group 3, and Group 4 – where Group 1 comprises the largest fiber and cable companies and Group 4 consists of providers with a small and/or growing market presence.

Group 1

#Internet ProviderTypeStates
1ComcastCableNational
2Charter CommunicationsCableNational
3AT&TFiberNational
4VerizonFiberMid-Atlantic, Northeast
5Cox CommunicationsCableNational
6Altice USACable/FiberNational
7Lumen TechnologiesFiberWest, Florida
8Frontier CommunicationsFiberNational
9Mediacom CommunicationsCableMidwest, Southeast
10Astound BroadbandCable/FiberNational
11Windstream HoldingsFiberSouth, Midwest, Northeast
12BrightspeedFiberMidwest, Southeast
13Cable OneCableWest, Midwest, South
14BreezelineCable/FiberEast Coast
15WideOpenWest (WOW!)Cable/FiberAL, FL, GA, MI, SC, TN
16TDS TelecomCable/FiberNational
17Midco (Midcontinent Communications)CableMN, ND, SD, WI, KS
18Consolidated CommunicationsFiberNational (22 states)
19Google FiberFiberNational (16 states)
20Ziply FiberFiberWA, OR, ID, MT
21altafiber (Cincinnati Bell)FiberOH, KY, IN, HI
22Armstrong Cable ServicesCablePA, OH, WV, MD, KY, NY
23Service ElectricCablePA, NJ
24MetroNetFiberNational (16 states)
25Hotwire CommunicationsFiberFL, GA, SC, NC, PA

Group 2

#Internet ProviderTypeStates
26ACD.NET (Advanced Comms & Data)FiberMI
27Alaska CommunicationsFiberAK
28All Points BroadbandFWA/FiberVA, WV, MD, KY
29Allo CommunicationsFiberNE, CO, AZ
30Blue Ridge CommunicationsCablePA
31Blue Stream FiberFiberFL
32Bluepeak (Vast Broadband)FiberSD, ND, MN, OK, WY, MO
33Buckeye BroadbandCableOH, MI
34C SpireFWA/FiberMS, AL
35Clearwave FiberFiberIL, KS, GA, FL
36Comporium CommunicationsCableSC, NC
37Dobson FiberFiberOK, AR, TX
38EarthLinkFiberNational
39EPB (Electric Power Board of Chattanooga)FiberTN
40GCI Communication CorpFiber/FWAAK
41GoNetSpeed (OTELCO)FiberNortheast, MO, AL
42Horry Telephone Cooperative (HTC)FiberSC
43Lumos FiberFiberNC, VA, SC
44Massillon Cable TV (MCTV)CableOH, WV
45Point BroadbandFWA/FiberSouth, Midwest, Northeast
46Rainier ConnectFiberWA
47REV Broadband (EATEL)Cable/FiberLA
48Schurz CommunicationsCableMD, VT, MN, IA, OH, AZ
49Shentel (Glo Fiber)Cable/FiberVA, WV, MD, PA, KY
50Sonic (Sonic.net)FiberCA
51Ultimate Internet Access (UIA)FiberCA
52Veracity NetworksFiberUT
53Vyve Broadband (Mega Broadband)CableWest, South, Midwest
54WEHCO Video / CablelynxCableAR, MS, OK, TX
55Zito MediaCablePA

Group 3

#Internet ProviderTypeStates
56Adams CATVCablePA
57Arvig CommunicationCable/FiberMN
58BAI ConnectFiberCA, NV
59Benton Ridge (Watch Comms, CFS)FWA/FiberOH, IN, IL, KY
60CDE LightbandFiberTN
61Empire AccessFiberNY, PA
62Farmers Telecommunications CooperativeFiberAL
63FastwyreFiberAL, AK, LA, MO, NE, TX
64FOCUS BroadbandCableNC
65Frankfort Plant Board (FPB)CableKY
66Gateway FiberFiberMO
67Great Plains CommunicationsFiberNE, IA, IN, CO
68Greenlight NetworksFiberNY
69GVTC CommunicationsFiberTX
70Horizon TelcomFiberOH
71i3 BroadbandFiberIL, MO, RI
72ImOn CommunicationsFiberIA
73Inter Mountain Cable (IMCTV)CableKY, VA
74JoinkFiberIN, IL
75LUS FiberFiberLA
76Mercury BroadbandFWA/FiberKS, IN, MO, MI, OH, IL
77Mid-Hudson CableCableNY
78Nex-TechFiberKS
79NextLightFiberCO
80Paul Bunyan CommunicationsFiberMN
81Race CommunicationsFiberCA
82Ritter CommunicationsFiberAR, TN, MO
83SkyLine Membership CorporationFiberNC, TN
84SmartairaFiberCA, AZ, FL
85Summit BroadbandFiberFL
86SUMO FIBERFiberUT, ID
87Surf InternetFiberIN, IL, MI
88Ting Internet (Tucows)FiberCA, CO, ID, NC, VA
89TruVista CommunicationsFiberSC, GA
90Ubiquity ManagementFiberTX, CA, AZ
91US Internet (USI)FWA/FiberMN
92Visionary BroadbandFiberWY, CO, MT
93Wyyerd FiberFiberAZ, CA

Group 4

#Internet ProviderTypeStates
94123NETFiberMI
95All West CommunicationsFiberUT, WY
96Archtop FiberFiberNY, PA
97Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES)CableTN
98Campus Communications Group (CCG)FiberIL, TX, FL, GA, MS
99CentraComCable/FiberUT
100Cityside NetworksFiberCA
101Co-Mo ConnectFiberMO
102Consolidated CooperativeFiberOH
103Douglas Fast Net (DFN)FiberOR
104Everfast Fiber NetworksCable/FiberKS, MO
105FastBridge FiberFiberPA
106FirstLight Fiber (Residential)FiberME
107GigapowerFiberAZ
108Highline InternetFiberTX, CO, MI, GA
109Hoosier Networks (H-Net)FiberIN
110Intrepid Fiber NetworksFiberCO
111IQ FiberFiberFL
112LiveOak FiberFiberFL, GA
113LocalTel CommunicationsFiberWA
114LS NetworksFiberWA, OR, CA
115MTCO CommunicationsFiberIL
116Nextlink Internet (Bluestem Network)FWA/FiberTX, NE
117Omni FiberFiberOH, PA, MI
118OpticalTelFiberFL
119OzarksGoFiberAR, OK
120Peoples TelecomFiberTX
121STELLAR BroadbandFiberMI
122TachusFiberTX
123Underline InfrastructureFiberCO
124Wire 3 HoldingsFiberFL
125Xchange TelecomFiberNY

1. Comcast

Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a cable and internet service provider that operates under the Xfinity brand. The company has 32.2 million broadband subscribers, making it the top internet service provider in the United States.

Comcast utilizes a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network, leveraging primarily the DOCSIS 3.1 standard, to transmit data traffic. This network is capable of delivering download speeds of 10 gigabits per second (Gbps) and upload speeds of 1 to 2 Gbps to customers. In the second-half of 2023, Comcast plans to begin deploying DOCSIS 4.0 technology which will enable the company to deliver to customers download speeds of 10 Gbps and upload speeds of 6 Gbps over their existing connections.

2. Charter Communications

Charter Communications (NASDAQ: CHTR), headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, is a cable and internet service provider that operates under the Spectrum brand. The company has 30.4 million broadband subscribers, making it the second largest internet service provider in the United States.

Charter utilizes a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network, leveraging primarily the DOCSIS 3.1 standard, to transmit data traffic. This network is capable of delivering download speeds of 10 Gbps and upload speeds of 1 to 2 Gbps to customers. Over the next three years, Charter plans to evolve its HFC network using DOCSIS 4.0 technology which will enable the company to deliver to customers download speeds of 10 Gbps and upload speeds of 6 Gbps.

3. AT&T

AT&T (NYSE: T), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is a telecommunications company that offers internet services under the AT&T Fiber brand for its fiber optic broadband service. The company has 15.4 million broadband subscribers, which includes both fiber and DSL (digital subscriber line) connections.

By the end of 2025, AT&T plans to extend its fiber network to over 30 million consumer and business locations. Currently, the company’s fiber network passes approximately 24 million locations, of which about 22.3 million locations are available for sale. Therefore, this plan suggests that AT&T will add 2 to 2.5 million locations to its fiber network every year until 2025.

AT&T Fiber offers customers symmetrical download and upload speeds – meaning they are equally as fast – of 2 Gbps and 5 Gbps.

4. Verizon

Verizon (NYSE: VZ), headquartered in New York City, New York, is a telecommunications company that offers internet services under the Verizon Fios brand for its 100% fiber optic broadband service. Fios is available in nine states in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, as well as Washington, D.C. In total, Verizon has 7.5 million wireline broadband subscribers, including both consumer and business customers, served by Fios internet and DSL (digital subscriber line) connections.

Verizon Fios Internet is currently “open for sale” to over 17 million households. By the end of 2025, Verizon aims to expand Fios Internet’s reach to 18 million households and expects to have approximately 8 million subscribers. Therefore, Verizon is predicting a 44% penetration rate for its Fios Internet service.

5. Cox Communications

Cox Communications, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a cable and internet service provider that operates under the Cox Internet brand. The company has approximately 5.6 million broadband subscribers, making it the top private broadband internet service provider in the United States.

Cox uses its own nationwide Internet Protocol (IP) network to deliver high-speed data and internet services to its customers across 18 states. This network utilizes Cox’s hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) infrastructure to connect subscribers to the internet. Over the next several years, Cox will make a multibillion-dollar annual infrastructure investment in fiber to the premise (FTTP) and DOCSIS 4.0 technology.

Cox Communications is a privately held company owned by descendants of the Cox Family through Cox Enterprises, including Jim Kennedy (Chairman) and Alex Taylor (CEO).

6. Altice USA

Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS), headquartered in Long Island City, New York, is a cable and fiber internet provider that operates under the Optimum and Suddenlink brands. The company has 4.3 million broadband subscribers.

Altice offers symmetrical broadband service via fiber to the home (FTTH) to more than 2.1 million households and intends to expand this service throughout its coverage area. Almost all of the company’s hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network is digital and DOCSIS 3.1 compatible, with 242 homes per node and a bandwidth capacity of at least 750 megahertz throughout.

7. Lumen Technologies

Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, is a telecommunications company that offers internet services under the Quantum Fiber and CenturyLink brands.

  • Quantum Fiber: Lumen’s brand for providing fiber-based services to residential and small business customers
  • CenturyLink: Lumen’s long-standing brand for providing mass-marketed legacy copper-based services, such as DSL (digital subscriber line)

Overall, Lumen has 3.0 million broadband subscribers. Of this total, over 830,000 subscribers are using the company’s Quantum Fiber broadband service, while 2.2 million are using lower-speed copper-based broadband services marketed under the CenturyLink brand.

Quantum Fiber’s total addressable fiber opportunity ranges from 8 million to 10 million locations. Presently, the company passes 3.1 million premises, and in 2023 plans to enable an incremental 500,000 fiber locations.

8. Frontier Communications

Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FYBR), headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, is a telecommunications company that offers internet services under the Frontier brand. The company has 2.8 million broadband subscribers in 25 states. Of this total, 1.68 million are fiber broadband customers and 1.16 million are copper broadband customers.

Frontier’s fiber network currently reaches 5.2 million locations. In 2023, Frontier plans to expand its fiber network to 1.3 million new locations, reaching a total of over 6.5 million fiber locations by the end of the year. Ultimately, by the end of 2025, Frontier plans to reach 10 million total fiber passings.

9. Mediacom Communications

Mediacom Communications, headquartered in Blooming Grove, New York, is a cable and internet service provider that operates in the Midwest and Southeast regions of the United States. The company delivers services through the Xtream brand and has approximately 1.5 million broadband subscribers.

Mediacom utilizes a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network, leveraging primarily the DOCSIS 3.1 standard, to transmit data traffic. This network is capable of delivering download speeds of 10 Gbps and upload speeds of 1 to 2 Gbps to customers. In 2023, Mediacom plans to begin live testing its HFC network using DOCSIS 4.0 technology, which will enable the company to deliver to customers download speeds of 10 Gbps and upload speeds of 6 Gbps.

10. Astound Broadband

Astound Broadband, headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, is a cable and internet service provider. The company is comprised of organizations formerly known as RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband, and enTouch.

Geographically, Astound Broadband services Chicago, Indiana, Eastern Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York City, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Texas, regions throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. In total, Astound Broadband has over 1.2 million broadband subscribers.

Astound Broadband is owned by Stonepeak Infrastructure Fund III and Fund IV, as well as co-investors.

11. Windstream Holdings

Windstream Holdings, headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, is a telecommunications company that offers residential fiber internet services under the Kinetic brand. The company has 1.17 million high-speed internet customers, of which 265,000 are fiber internet customers and 910,000 are DSL (digital subscriber line) customers.

Overall, Windstream provides broadband, entertainment, and security services primarily in rural areas to consumers and small and midsize businesses through a fiber network in 18 states.

Windstream Holdings is a privately held company owned by Elliott Management, PIMCO, and Brigade Capital Management, amongst others.

12. Brightspeed

Brightspeed, headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a fixed broadband provider in 20 states, primarily in the Midwest and Southeast portions of the United States. More specifically, Brightspeed operates in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Within these 20 states, Brightspeed owns both copper and fiber networks that pass 6.7 million homes and 600,000 enterprise buildings. This network has a total of 1.15 million broadband subscribers, of which only ~76,000 are fiber subscribers, and the remaining 1.07 million are served via copper-based DSL (digital subscriber line).

Over the next several years, Brightspeed plans to build-out its fiber optic network to reach more than 3 million consumer and business locations. In so doing, Brightspeed plans to invest over $2 billion to deploy this fiber infrastructure.

Brightspeed is a privately held company owned by Apollo Investment Fund IX, a private equity fund of Apollo Global Management.

13. Cable One

Cable One (NYSE: CABO), headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, is a cable and internet service provider that operates under the Sparklight, Fidelity, ValuNet, and Hargary, brands. The company has 1.06 million broadband subscribers in 24 Western, Midwestern, and Southern states.

Cable One serves its customers through a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network with capacity generally measuring 750 megahertz or higher and has DOCSIS 3.1 capabilities throughout its systems. In addition, the company expects to deploy symmetrical gigabit speeds over its data network in select markets by the end of 2023 and deploy DOCSIS 4.0 technology beginning in 2024.

14. Breezeline

Breezeline (formerly Atlantic Broadband), headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts, is a cable and internet service provider that has a network covering 13 states along the East Coast of the United States. The company’s network passes 1.69 million homes and serves approximately 694,000 internet customers, resulting in a 41% penetration rate. Breezeline is a subsidiary of Cogeco (TSE: CGO), a Canadian telecommunications company.

Geographically, Breezeline operates in Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Breezeline delivers internet services through a hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) and fiber to the home (FTTH) network. The company plans to continue deploying 1 Gbps speeds on its HFC network using DOCSIS 3.1 technology and selectively deploy DOCSIS 4.0, which can offer download speeds of 8 to 10 Gbps.

15. WideOpenWest (WOW!)

WideOpenWest (NYSE: WOW), headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, is a cable and internet service provider that operates across 14 markets via its hybrid fiber-coaxial (HFC) network. The company’s footprint covers certain suburban areas within the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

WideOpenWest’s broadband networks pass 1.9 million homes and businesses and serves 511,600 broadband customers – known as high-speed data revenue generating units (HSD RGUs) – reflecting a total customer penetration rate of approximately 27%.

WideOpenWest is beginning to expand its all-IP fiber technology to new markets through greenfield initiatives. The company’s current greenfield initiatives include Seminole County and Orange County, Florida, and Greenville County, South Carolina, representing thousands of homes that have been passed.

16. TDS Telecom

Telephone and Data Systems (NYSE: TDS), headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, through its wholly-owned subsidiary TDS Telecom, provides communications services to 1.2 million connections in 32 states through its fiber, coaxial, and copper networks. The company has 510,000 residential broadband subscribers.

TDS Telecom is deploying fiber in select markets, such as Wisconsin and the Pacific Northwest, providing internet speeds of up to 8 Gbps. In non-fiber markets, the company is deploying fiber to the node (FTTN) and copper-based vectoring/pair bonding technology to increase data speeds, reaching up to 100 Mbps. DOCSIS 3.1 technology is used in almost all cable markets and provides speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

17. Midco (Midcontinent Communications)

Midco (Midcontinent Communications), headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is a provider of high-speed internet via cable, fiber, and fixed wireless technology. In total, Midco fiber serves 490,000 home and business subscribers in 400 communities in Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Midco is a privately held company owned by Midcontinent Media (Patrick McAdaragh, Dick Busch, Steve Grosser) and Comcast.

18. Consolidated Communications

Consolidated Communications (NASDAQ: CNSL), headquartered in Mattoon, Illinois, is a telecommunications company that offers internet services under the Fidium brand. The company operates in 22 states with 2.6 million total passings, of which over 1.0 million are fiber passings. Consolidated has 367,458 total subscribers, of which 122,872 are fiber subscribers.

During 2023, Consolidated has set an expansion build target of over 225,000 fiber passings and thus expects to reach a total of 1.225 million fiber passings by the end of the year.

19. Google Fiber

Google Fiber, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), is a fiber-optic internet and TV service provider headquartered in Mountain View, California. There are two ways in which Google Fiber operates in cities: those where Google Fiber provides service through a fiber-optic network, and those where Google Fiber provides service through a fixed wireless network called Webpass, which uses millimeter wave (mmWave) technology.

Geographically, Google Fiber, including its Webpass service, operates in the states of Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Washington.

20. Ziply Fiber

Ziply Fiber, headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, is a residential and commercial broadband provider in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. The company has over 350,00 residential and commercial internet subscribers in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.

Ziply Fiber is a privately held company owned by Searchlight Capital (Fund II), WaveDivision Capital (Fund VII), PSP Investments, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments).

21. altafiber (Cincinnati Bell)

altafiber (formerly Cincinnati Bell), headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a telecommunications company that offers internet services in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The company also provides internet services in Hawaii under the brand Hawaiian Telcom. Additionally, altafiber delivers enterprise fiber services to businesses and carriers in the United States and Canada.

altafiber is a privately held company owned by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA), through its fund Macquarie Infrastructure Partners V (MIP).

22. Armstrong Cable Services

Armstrong Cable Services, headquartered in Butler, Pennsylvania, is a cable and internet service provider that operates under the Armstrong brand. The company’s broadband network reaches more than 400,000 homes in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, and New York.

Armstrong is a privately held company owned by the Sedwick Family.

23. Service Electric

Service Electric, headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is a cable and internet service provider that serves eastern Pennsylvania. The company has over 250,000 residential broadband subscribers.

Additionally, the company has formed partnerships with PenTeleData and Alianza which enables Service Electric to extend its internet and telephone service reach.

Service Electric is a privately held company owned by the Walson Family.

24. MetroNet

MetroNet, headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, is a 100% fiber broadband provider that serves or is constructing networks in more than 250 communities across 16 states. More specifically, the company’s operations span the states of Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, Missouri, Colorado, New Mexico, and Louisiana.

Ultimately, MetroNet will pass more than 1.5 million residents and businesses, once construction of its fiber-optic networks are complete.

MetroNet is a privately held company owned by Oak Hill Capital, KKR, and Pamlico Capital.

25. Hotwire Communications

Hotwire Communications, headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a fiber broadband provider that specializes in serving multiple dwelling units (MDUs), including gated & active adult communities, single-family home developments, condominiums, and student housing. Geographically, Hotwire operates in Florida, Georgia, Texas, Nevada, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and California.

Hotwire Communications primarily provides services to homeowners associations (HOAs) and condominium owners associations (COAs), but also serves a small number of municipalities and hotels. In total, the company delivers broadband services to over 600 properties.

Hotwire is a privately held company owned by Blackstone through two of its strategies: Blackstone Tactical Opportunities (Tac Opps) and Blackstone Infrastructure Partners (BIP).

Jonathan Kim covers Fiber for Dgtl Infra, including Zayo Group, Cogent Communications (NASDAQ: CCOI), Uniti Group (NASDAQ: UNIT), Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN), Frontier Communications (NASDAQ: FYBR), Consolidated Communications (NASDAQ: CNSL), and many more. Within Fiber, Jonathan focuses on the sub-sectors of wholesale / dark fiber, enterprise fiber, fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), and subsea cables. Jonathan has over 8 years of experience in research and writing for Fiber.

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