Consolidated Communications Assessment: Plans, Costs and Availability

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Consolidated Communications score

Professionals

• 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 accessible service sort at your tackle. 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 larger availability, is much much less fascinating.

Whereas service can differ from state to state, my advice for Consolidated Communications is identical as each different fiber and DSL supplier: Prioritize fiber web and deal with DSL as a final resort. Right here’s a more in-depth take 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. In case you are 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 presents 4 plans in most areas, together with a low-cost 100Mbps plan and a high-speed 2Gbps plan. Introductory charges are aggressive and the worth is barely set to extend by $15 or $20 after the primary 12 months. Alternatively, 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 dearer than Fidium Fiber’s Gig plan, despite the fact that it presents solely 1 / 4 of the max speeds. The Premium plan advertises as much as 1Gbps at a good 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 presents 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 accessible connection sort or fiber service accessible at your tackle, charges and repair phrases from Consolidation Communications largely favor the client. Taxes and miscellaneous charges will add to your invoice like every other ISP, however prospects received’t have a lot to fret about in any other case.

No contracts, knowledge caps or tools charges (principally)

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

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

Free tools rental with all plans can be very best, 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 prospects can skip the payment altogether through the use of their very own appropriate tools. 

Consolidated Communications availability

Consolidated Communications is accessible in 20 states coast to coast, however the best focus of availability is within the Northeast. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have the most effective 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 accessible in elements of Washington state, however the ISP just lately bought most of its copper and fiber networks to Lightcurve.

Evaluating Consolidated Communications

As a DSL supplier, Consolidated Communications is among 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 significantly better worth. However once more, the extent of worth will rely upon which service is accessible in your space: Consolidated Communications or Fidium Fiber. Contemplating the speeds for the worth, Consolidated Communications fiber web is much less of a deal than you’d get from different main fiber ISPs. Fidium Fiber, alternatively, is corresponding to many fiber ISPs and will provide quicker 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 mounted wi-fi or satellite tv for pc web. Mounted wi-fi, from ISPs equivalent to T-Cell Dwelling Web, might ship quicker speeds for a decrease month-to-month worth. Satellite tv for pc web might provide quicker speeds however at a better worth with increased latency and limiting knowledge limits, until you go for Starlink.

Areas with fiber web availability additionally usually have a cable web supplier or two accessible. As a rule, I might advocate fiber over cable, however there are situations the place a cable ISP, equivalent to Xfinity or Spectrum, would be the better option over Consolidated Communications. 

Cable might show to be the cheaper choice, for instance, as Consolidated Communications expenses $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 quicker speeds, as much as 300Mbps.

Consolidated Communications Buyer Satisfaction

The principle sources we at CNET use to judge ISP buyer satisfaction, the American Buyer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Energy, don’t establish Consolidated Communications particularly of their stories. So, as a substitute, I turned to the Higher Enterprise Bureau and Reddit to raised perceive what precise prospects take into consideration their service.

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

Many 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 analogous image relating to service outages. Along with complaints of extended outages in varied areas, some customers reported issues with attempting to self-install their tools. 

Finally, Consolidated Communications doesn’t seem to have the most effective report relating to buyer satisfaction, however the telecommunications business is understood for low buyer satisfaction. Whereas the experiences of others are definitely one thing to contemplate, I might advocate evaluating Consolidated Communications or Fidium Fiber plans and pricing first, then forming your personal opinion of the service if and if you select to enroll. 

Recap of Consolidated Communications

Like every ISP that gives DSL and fiber web, the speeds, pricing and total worth of Consolidated Communications will rely upon the accessible service sort at your tackle. If fiber is accessible, it could be the quicker choice 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