What is the best internet provider in Horseheads, New York?

Located just outside the Finger Lakes in upstate New York, Horseheads offers its residents more than a decent way to get online, including a small Fiber optic network from Empire Access. Despite the price increases CNET’s choice for the best Internet service provider in Horseheads is Spectrum InternetWe chose Spectrum because it is widely available in the village, the prices are straightforward and the speeds are better than landline providers or Satellite Internet. According to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission, Spectrum is available in 92% of Horseheads. That means if you live within city limits, you’re likely eligible for Spectrum’s internet service.

If your home is eligible for fiber optic from Empire Access, you can’t go wrong with a Fiber optic connection. Empire Access offers the fastest internet speeds in the city, up to 2,000 Mbps download and upload for some lucky residents. There are also two other plans: $55 per month for 500 Mbps and $70 for 1,000 Mbps. These are quite affordable prices that are based on Cost per Mbit/s of 11 or seven cents.

If your address is not eligible for fiber from Empire Access and you would rather avoid cable, Verizon and T-Mobile both offer significant 5G Internet for home Footprint in horse heads. Due to the greater availability Verizon 5G home internet is the best fixed wireless option in town. Verizon’s 5G internet service is available in 69% of the city, compared to T-Mobile Home Internet 50%, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Verizon offers faster speeds than T-Mobile Home Internet, maxing out at 1,000 Mbps in some areas. In addition to faster speeds and wider availability than T-Mobile Home Internet, Verizon’s 5G Home Internet also offers some benefits like a two- to three-year price guarantee, depending on which plan you choose, and Streaming Bundle Add-ons for only $10 extra per month.

If you are looking for cheap internetit is best to bundle your landline internet plan with a suitable phone plan from T-Mobile or Verizon, which can reduce your monthly costs by $10 to $25 depending on the provider. Otherwise, most internet plans in Horseheads start at $50 monthly. After the end of the Affordable connectivity programNew York recently required Internet service providers to provide Internet for as little as $15 a month for eligible low-income householdsbut while we wait for that law to go into effect, some providers are already offering some discounts for eligible households. Spectrum Internet Access, for example, offers 50 Mbps for just $25 monthly for eligible households participating in eligible government assistance programs. T-Mobile offers low-income students 100GB of free hotspot internet per year with Project 10Million, and Verizon offers discount opportunities to bring your monthly cost down to $20 in some cases with Verizon Forward. If none of these discounts apply to you and you’re still looking for a cheaper internet option in Horseheads, your best bet is Negotiate your price with your Internet provider.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

How to find online deals and special offers in Horseheads

The best internet deals and top promotions in Horseheads depend on what discounts are available at any given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we regularly check for the latest offers.

Horseheads internet providers like Spectrum and Verizon may offer cheaper introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including Empire Access and T-Mobile Home Internet, offer the same standard prices year-round.

For a more detailed list of special offers, see our guide to the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of vendor data.

What is a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans today can handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that supports video conferencing, video streaming, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more stable connection. Here’s a breakdown of recommended minimum download speeds for various applications according to the FCC. Note that these are just guidelines and that internet speed, service, and performance will vary depending on your connection type, provider, and address.

For more information, check out our guide to how much internet speed you really need.

• With 0 to 5 Mbps, you are equipped for the basics: surfing the Internet, sending and receiving emails, streaming low-quality videos.
• 5 to 40 Mbps enable you to enjoy higher quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should provide a user with enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allow one to two users to simultaneously participate in bandwidth-intensive activities such as video conferencing, streaming and online gaming.
• 500 to 1,000 Mbps allows three or more users to perform high-bandwidth activities simultaneously.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Horseheads

Internet service providers are available in numerous regions. Unlike the latest smartphones, laptops, routers or kitchen appliances, it’s virtually impossible to personally test every ISP in a given city. How do we do it? First, we use a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed based on our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

But it doesn’t stop there: We visit the FCC’s website to verify our data and make sure we’re including every ISP offering service in an area. We also enter local addresses on providers’ websites to find options specific to local residents. We check sources like the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power to rate how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISPs’ plans and prices can change frequently; all information provided is accurate at the time of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to sufficiently fast Internet speeds?
2. Do customers get fair value for their money?
3. Are customers satisfied with your service?

The answers to these questions are often layered and complex, but the providers that come closest to “yes” to all three questions are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, but we also consider things like price hikes, device fees, and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To learn more about our process, visit our How We Test ISPs page.

Frequently Asked Questions About Internet Providers in Horseheads