Consolidated Communications Overview: Plans, Costs and Availability

Unavailable in Supplier unavailable in 90001

Edit

...
See at Consolidated Communications

Or name: Or name to study extra:

Consolidated Communications ranking

Execs

• Fiber protection in 13 states
• No knowledge caps or contracts
• Tools included with most plans

Cons

• Speeds and pricing differ by state
• Gradual, costly DSL service
• Restricted fiber plan choice in some areas

Your expertise with Consolidated Communications will rely upon the place you reside and the out there service sort at your handle. Entry to fiber service, whether or not that is from Consolidated Communications or its fellow fiber model, Fidium, varies by state. The DSL service, whereas having higher availability, is way much less fascinating.

Whereas service can differ from state to state, my suggestion for Consolidated Communications is similar as each different fiber and DSL supplier: Prioritize fiber web and deal with DSL as a final resort. Right here’s a better have a look at what to anticipate from the supplier.

Consolidated Communications web plans

Consolidated Communications fiber

Fidium Fiber plans

Consolidated Communications DSL plans

Supply: CNET evaluation of supplier knowledge.

Fidium Fiber’s speeds and pricing are corresponding to or higher than most fiber suppliers, however I’m much less impressed with Consolidated Communications fiber plans. If you’re in a state with Fidium Fiber — California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas or Vermont — you’ll have decrease pricing and a greater velocity choice than Consolidated Communications fiber.

Fidium Fiber provides 4 plans in most places, together with a low-cost 100Mbps plan and a high-speed 2Gbps plan. Introductory charges are aggressive and the value is barely set to extend by $15 or $20 after the primary 12 months. However, Consolidated Communications has simply two plans, each of which have a $30 worth hike after 12 months.

The most cost effective Consolidated Communications fiber plan, Superior, is costlier than Fidium Fiber’s Gig plan, although it provides solely 1 / 4 of the max speeds. The Premium plan advertises as much as 1Gbps at an honest month-to-month price of $70 however jumps to $100 after the primary 12 months, the identical price as Fidium Fiber’s 2Gbps plan.

DSL provides nowhere close to the identical worth

Fidium Fiber is a greater deal than Consolidation Communications fiber, however each providers are a major improve to DSL. With speeds of 10, 20, 25 and 50Mbps, the supplier’s DSL plans fall wanting what’s thought-about broadband (100Mbps down and 20Mbps up). Regardless of the gradual speeds, beginning costs are comparatively excessive. Every DSL plan has a value per Mbps above $1.

Consolidated Communications charges and repair phrases

Whatever the out there connection sort or fiber service out there at your handle, charges and repair phrases from Consolidation Communications largely favor the shopper. Taxes and miscellaneous charges will add to your invoice like every other ISP, however clients gained’t have a lot to fret about in any other case.

No contracts, knowledge caps or gear charges (largely)

Consolidation Communications plans, each DSL and fiber together with Fidium Fiber, embody limitless knowledge and require no contract. 

Tools can also be included at no further value, save for Fidium Fiber’s two least expensive plans. Renting gear with 100 or 300Mbps plans will add $10 to your month-to-month invoice, whereas the 1 and 2Gbps plans embody gear rental.

Free gear rental with all plans can be perfect, but it surely’s price noting that the $10 payment is decrease than many ISPs. Cox, Xfinity, CenturyLink, Brightspeed and others have a better month-to-month rental payment. Moreover, Fidium Fiber clients can skip the payment altogether by utilizing their very own suitable gear. 

Consolidated Communications availability

Consolidated Communications is on the market in 20 states coast to coast, however the best focus of availability is within the Northeast. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have the very best protection of DSL web and fiber-optic service by Fidium Fiber. Protection extends into New York, notably to the southeast of Albany and northwest of Chautauqua Lake alongside the Pennsylvania border, however fiber service in New York is by Consolidated Communications, not Fidium Fiber.

Illinois, Minnesota and Texas even have decent-sized pockets of availability. Serviceability in others, together with Colorado, California, Georgia and Iowa, is proscribed to a choose few markets. Consolidated Communications remains to be out there in elements of Washington state, however the ISP not too long ago offered most of its copper and fiber networks to Lightcurve.

Evaluating Consolidated Communications

As a DSL supplier, Consolidated Communications is likely one of the few to supply a number of plans to select from. Many DSL suppliers, together with AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier, cost a single price for no matter speeds can be found. Nevertheless, plan choice is the one factor that actually stands out, as Consolidated Communications DSL pricing is excessive, contemplating the speeds you get.

Fiber service is a a lot better worth. However once more, the extent of worth will rely upon which service is on the market in your space: Consolidated Communications or Fidium Fiber. Contemplating the speeds for the value, Consolidated Communications fiber web is much less of a deal than you’d get from different main fiber ISPs. Fidium Fiber, however, is corresponding to many fiber ISPs and should supply sooner speeds and decrease pricing than some.

It’s unlikely you’ll have the selection of Consolidated Communications DSL or fiber providers along with one other DSL or fiber supplier, nonetheless. 

Within the case of DSL, your solely web options could also be fastened wi-fi or satellite tv for pc web. Fastened wi-fi, from ISPs corresponding to T-Cellular Dwelling Web, could ship sooner speeds for a decrease month-to-month worth. Satellite tv for pc web could supply sooner speeds however at a better worth with greater latency and limiting knowledge limits, except you go for Starlink.

Areas with fiber web availability additionally usually have a cable web supplier or two out there. Most of the time, I’d suggest fiber over cable, however there are cases the place a cable ISP, corresponding to Xfinity or Spectrum, could be the better option over Consolidated Communications. 

Cable could show to be the cheaper possibility, for instance, as Consolidated Communications fees $60 a month ($90 after a 12 months) for speeds as much as 250Mbps whereas Spectrum and Xfinity have decrease introductory and customary charges for sooner speeds, as much as 300Mbps.

Consolidated Communications Buyer Satisfaction

The primary sources we at CNET use to guage ISP buyer satisfaction, the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, don’t establish Consolidated Communications particularly of their experiences. So, as an alternative, I turned to the Higher Enterprise Bureau and Reddit to higher perceive what precise clients take into consideration their service.

Consolidated Communications has an “F” ranking and a buyer evaluation rating of 1.09 out of 5. That’s not good, but it surely’s not utterly unreasonable. Frontier, one other DSL and fiber supplier, has an excellent decrease evaluation rating of 1.05, although it did obtain an “A” ranking. CenturyLink has a 1.02 and isn’t rated in any respect by the BBB.

A lot of the complaints filed (167 within the final 12 months) contain service outages or billing points. Moreover, some complaints point out difficulties reaching customer support to deal with their points. 

Reddit posts paint an identical image relating to service outages. Along with complaints of extended outages in varied areas, some customers reported issues with making an attempt to self-install their gear. 

In the end, Consolidated Communications doesn’t seem to have the very best file relating to buyer satisfaction, however the telecommunications business is understood for low buyer satisfaction. Whereas the experiences of others are actually one thing to contemplate, I’d suggest evaluating Consolidated Communications or Fidium Fiber plans and pricing first, then forming your individual opinion of the service if and once you select to enroll. 

Recap of Consolidated Communications

Like every ISP that provides DSL and fiber web, the speeds, pricing and total worth of Consolidated Communications will rely upon the out there service sort at your handle. If fiber is on the market, it could be the sooner possibility and a greater deal than cable, notably if you may get Fidium Fiber. DSL service, nonetheless, ought to solely be thought-about as a final resort earlier than deciding on satellite tv for pc web.

Consolidated Communications FAQs