12 Best Internet Providers in Palo Alto County, IA

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

Above are the top 4 providers in Palo Alto County, IA for most people based on high speed internet coverage, speeds, and customer reviews. Click below to see all providers in your county.

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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 Palo Alto County ratings may vary and are shown below.

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3. Palo Alto County, IA Internet Service Providers
   

Who is the Best Internet Provider in Palo Alto County, IA?

Verizon is the best internet provider in Palo Alto County based on Iowa customer satisfaction ratings and reviews. Based on our extensive and unbiased survey, Verizon had the best reviews at the local, state, and national levels versus all available providers in Palo Alto County, making it a solid recommendation among providers with reviews. Unfortunately, Verizon is an option for 1.29% of the county.

The chart and table below show average customer ratings from customers in Palo Alto County, Iowa, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Palo Alto County

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Palo Alto County Internet Providers

Based on 38 reviews from Iowa internet customers, Verizon is the best internet service provider for Palo Alto County residents. Verizon was rated at an average of 4.50 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. Windstream wins for second-place in Iowa, with 4.33 out of 5 stars and 50.8% coverage in Palo Alto County.

At a national level, based on 2175 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, Northwest Communications is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 3.30 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Palo Alto County?

According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers in the county, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by Northwest Communications. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, Mediacom, RingTel Communications, and Terril Telephone Cooperative should have faster speeds at a local level. While we typically put more weight on real-world customer ratings, we display both satisfaction and technical maximum information for customers to decide for themselves.

Data Reported to FCC by ISPs: Average Maximum Available in Palo Alto County

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	Mediacom	1,000 Mbps
	Windstream	1,000 Mbps
	Nextlink	1,000 Mbps
	Northwest Communications	1,000 Mbps
	Starnet	500 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	GigFire	150 Mbps
	Fenton Cooperative Telephone Company	100 Mbps
	EarthLink	100 Mbps
	AT&T	100 Mbps
	T-Mobile Home Internet	100 Mbps
	US Cellular	100 Mbps
	Viasat	100 Mbps
	HughesNet	25 Mbps

Customer Ratings for Internet Provider Speeds in Palo Alto County

Based on data reported by Palo Alto County ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the county are available through Mediacom, RingTel Communications, and Terril Telephone Cooperative. These internet providers offer speeds up to 1,000 Mbps in Palo Alto County. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 1,000 Mbps if they're willing to purchase the fastest subscription tier available at their homes.

Additionally, actual customers in the county rated their satisfaction with internet speed highest with Northwest Communications. This indicates Northwest Communications reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Palo Alto County?

Iowa 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 4.00 out of 5, which is lower than the average across all internet providers in the country. US Cellular is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Palo Alto County customers with an average price rating of 4.00 out of 5.

The chart and graph below show how customers in Palo Alto County, Iowa, and the United States rated the affordability of their internet service.

Rated Affordability in Palo Alto County

Palo Alto County 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 county 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 Palo Alto County below, including the metrics used and how Palo Alto County compares to the rest of Iowa and nation.

Palo Alto County ISP Report Card: C+

	Metric (hover for details)	Palo Alto County	Iowa	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Palo Alto County that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	77.89%	78.64%	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.	816 Mbps	2,759 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 Palo Alto County.	5.2	7.3	6.8

 

Palo Alto County Digital Connectivity Index: 48 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Palo Alto County	Iowa	USA
	Average Household SizeA larger household size in a county indicates that there will be a greater need for bandwidth due to simultaneous usage, multiple devices, and network congestion.	2.3	2.4	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.	7%	11%	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.	94%	94%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	88%	88%	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.	71%	71%	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.	71%	71%	76%

Palo Alto County ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Palo Alto County is C+, which is better than other counties. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Palo Alto County is high with a score of 48 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Palo Alto County have done a average job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Palo Alto County ISP Report Card evaluates the county on availability and speed metrics compared to other counties in the United States. ISP Infrastructure can vary greatly and on its own isn’t a perfect measure of what a county 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.

88% of Palo Alto County households have an internet connection despite having 99.80% availability. 71% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 9% have satellite, 0% are still on dial-up, and 2% 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 71% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 71% subscribe to it. A large amount of Palo Alto County 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 Counties Compare to Palo Alto County?

How Much Speed does a Palo Alto County Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Palo Alto County is 2.3, which is smaller than the Iowa average of 2.4 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Palo Alto County's average household income is $72,824 which is about average for the Iowa average of $80,609 and about average for the national average of $90,606. Homes with fewer people living in them and with higher incomes tend to indicate a fairly average device usage pattern.

Palo Alto County also has 13% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is lower than the Iowa average of 16%. Additionally, 7% of residents work from home, which is lower than the 11% of residents in Iowa who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Palo Alto County has an average need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Palo Alto County households are about average when it comes to technological engagement. 94% of households have some sort of computing device, 82% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 88% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Palo Alto County?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Palo Alto County?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Palo Alto County?

Which Fixed Wireless and LTE Internet Providers are Available in Palo Alto County?

Which ISP Should You Choose in Palo Alto County?

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 Palo Alto County is Verizon.
• The fastest internet provider should be Mediacom, RingTel Communications, and Terril Telephone Cooperative. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, Northwest Communications may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Palo Alto County is T-Mobile Home Internet.
• Viasat, US Cellular, and HughesNet has the broadest coverage in Palo Alto County, 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 Palo Alto County compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Palo Alto County 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 Palo Alto County's C+ ISP Report Card and 48 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.