10 Best Internet Providers in Columbia, AL

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

Above are the top 4 providers in Columbia, AL for most people based on high speed internet coverage, speeds, and customer reviews. Click below to see all providers in your city.

All Providers

Speed and technology may vary by address for all providers. Please note we may have a financial relationship with some of the providers above, which does not impact the customer ratings displayed. Customer ratings listed above are national ratings, local Columbia ratings may vary and are shown below.

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3. Columbia, AL Internet Service Providers
   

Who is the Best Internet Provider in Columbia, AL?

C Spire is the highest-rated internet provider in Columbia based on 68 Alabama customer reviews, and C Spire has the highest rating nationwide. The provider information above and the information immediately below can help you decide. Compare provider ratings and review counts above. The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Columbia, Alabama, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Columbia

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Columbia Internet Providers

Based on 68 reviews from Alabama internet customers, C Spire is the best internet service provider for Columbia residents. C Spire was rated at an average of 4.25 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. Verizon wins for second-place in Alabama, with 4.00 out of 5 stars and 14.2% coverage in Columbia.

At a national level, based on 4336 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, C Spire is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 4.30 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Columbia?

Based on both FCC data and unbiased customer ratings in Columbia, the fastest internet in the city comes from C Spire.

Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Columbia

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	C Spire	10,000 Mbps
	Brightspeed	2,000 Mbps
	XFINITY from Comcast	1,200 Mbps
	WOW!	1,200 Mbps
	Windstream	1,000 Mbps
	Pea River Cooperative	1,000 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	AT&T	25 Mbps
	EarthLink	25 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Columbia

Based on data reported by Columbia ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the city are available through C Spire. The company offers speeds up to 10,000 Mbps in Columbia. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 7,105 Mbps if they're willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.

However, actual customers in the city rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with C Spire. This indicates C Spire reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Columbia?

Alabama customers rate T-Mobile Home Internet as the cheapest internet service provider in state. Data comes from customers in the state rating their satisfaction with pricing. This feedback is valuable because it considers price changes and whether the speeds paid for are worth it.

T-Mobile Home Internet received a local rating of 4.20 out of 5, which is about average for the average across all internet providers in the country. C Spire is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Columbia customers with an average price rating of 3.50 out of 5.

The chart and graph below show how customers in Columbia, Alabama, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.

Rated Affordability in Columbia

Columbia Internet Health Assessment

ISP Reports evaluates the technological infrastructure across the United States. This includes assessing a grade for ISP providers and infrastructure in the city and setting an index number for the digital connectivity of its residents. You can view the ISP Report Card and the Digital Connectivity Index for Columbia below, including the metrics used and how Columbia compares to the rest of Alabama and nation.

Columbia ISP Report Card: B-

	Metric (hover for details)	Columbia	Alabama	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Columbia that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	92.28%	68.19%	67.25%
	Average Download SpeedThe maximum download speed most households can get on average. This is measured by availability in a block group and weighted by the population in that area.	3,720 Mbps	3,158 Mbps	3,293 Mbps
	Provider CountThe number of providers available for most people. This is a weighted average by block rather than a total for Columbia.	3.3	6.3	6.8

 

Columbia Digital Connectivity Index: 25 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Columbia	Alabama	USA
	Average Household SizeA larger household size in a city indicates that there will be a greater need for bandwidth due to simultaneous usage, multiple devices, and network congestion.	2.6	2.6	2.7
	Work From Home PercentA higher percent of the population working from home indicates bandwidth requirements being more widely needed rather than consolidated to commercial portions of the city.	4%	8%	14%
	Households with DevicesA higher percentage of households with computing devices in the home indicates a higher level of infrastructure needed to support those households.	89%	93%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	77%	86%	90%
	Households with BroadbandA higher percentage of households with a broadband connection (defined as speeds above 25 Mbps) indicates heavier usage needs within these households.	43%	66%	75%
	Broadband Usage vs. AvailabilityThis measures what percentage of households who have a broadband connection to their home actually have an active subscription to that service.	43%	67%	76%

Columbia ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Columbia is B-, which is much worse than other cities. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Columbia is high with a score of 25 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Columbia have done a poor job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Columbia ISP Report Card evaluates the city on availability and speed metrics compared to other cities in the United States. ISP Infrastructure can vary greatly and on its own isn’t a perfect measure of what a city needs. Please see our ISP Report Card along with the Digital Connectivity Index above to evaluate how well the connectivity demand is met by the existing infrastructure.

77% of Columbia households have an internet connection despite having 99.53% availability. 43% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 17% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 1% of households have internet but don’t pay for a subscription because it’s subsidized by the Affordable Connectivity Program.

As you can see in the table above, while 43% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 43% subscribe to it. A very low number of Columbia residents are taking advantage of the available internet infrastructure.

For more details, please visit our ISP Report Card and Digital Connectivity Index pages.

How do Neighboring Cities Compare to Columbia?

How Much Speed does a Columbia Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Columbia is 2.6, which is larger than the Alabama average of 2.6 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Columbia's average household income is $61,208 which is about average for the Alabama average of $70,756 and lower than the national average of $90,606. Homes with more people living in them and with lower incomes tend to indicate a fairly average device usage pattern.

Columbia also has 14% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is lower than the Alabama average of 16%. Additionally, 4% of residents work from home, which is lower than the 8% of residents in Alabama who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Columbia has a very low need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Columbia households are more technology-disengaged. 89% of households have some sort of computing device, 61% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 86% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Columbia?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Columbia?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Columbia?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Columbia?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Columbia?

The right ISP for you depends upon your needs, but in general we can make the following suggestions:

• The best all-around internet service provider in Columbia is C Spire.
• The fastest internet provider should be C Spire. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, C Spire may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Columbia is T-Mobile Home Internet.
• Viasat, T-Mobile Home Internet, and HughesNet has the broadest coverage in Columbia, and is most likely to cover your home. To find out exactly what's available at your home, please use our address search tool.

How does Columbia compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Columbia stacks up on the national level, it's useful to look at some other cities with similarly sized populations. Below you can see a list of these cities and how they compare to Columbia's B- ISP Report Card and 25 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.