11 Best Internet Providers in Portage County, WI

Compare Providers Ranked by Coverage, Speed, and Customer Ratings

Above are the top 4 providers in Portage County, WI 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 Portage County ratings may vary and are shown below.

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Who is the Best Internet Provider in Portage County, WI?

Amherst Communications is the highest-rated internet provider in Portage County based on 140 Wisconsin customer reviews, and Amherst Communications 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 Portage County, Wisconsin, and customers throughout the country.

Top Rated Internet Providers in Portage County

Local, State, and National Ratings for all Portage County Internet Providers

Based on 140 reviews from Wisconsin internet customers, Amherst Communications is the best internet service provider for Portage County residents. Amherst Communications was rated at an average of 5.00 out of 5 in our report for overall customer satisfaction. Spectrum wins for second-place in Wisconsin, with 3.75 out of 5 stars and 68.4% coverage in Portage County.

At a national level, based on 3760 national reviews for any of the providers listed above, Amherst Communications is rated higher than any other provider, with a rating of 4.12 out of 5.

Who is the Fastest Internet Provider in Portage County?

According to unbiased feedback from real internet customers in the county, they reported being happiest with speeds provided by Amherst Communications. On the other hand, based on data provided by the internet providers to the FCC, TDS 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 Portage County

	ISP / Tech Type	Max Advertised Speed
	TDS	8,000 Mbps
	Solarus	1,000 Mbps
	Amherst Communications	1,000 Mbps
	Bug Tussel Wireless	1,000 Mbps
	Spectrum	1,000 Mbps
	Verizon	300 Mbps
	Country Wireless	100 Mbps
	AT&T	100 Mbps
	EarthLink	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 Portage County

Based on data reported by Portage County ISPs to the FCC, the fastest speeds in the county are available through TDS. The company offers speeds up to 8,000 Mbps in Portage County. Therefore, the average customer can get up to 4,922 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 Amherst Communications. This indicates Amherst Communications reliably delivers speeds expected by the customer based on the plan they are paying for.

Who is the Cheapest Internet Provider in Portage County?

Wisconsin customers rate Spectrum 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.

Spectrum received a local rating of 4.00 out of 5, which is lower than the average across all internet providers in the country. TDS is rated in second place for affordability by the company’s Portage County customers with an average price rating of 3.00 out of 5.

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

Rated Affordability in Portage County

Portage 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 Portage County below, including the metrics used and how Portage County compares to the rest of Wisconsin and nation.

Portage County ISP Report Card: B-

	Metric (hover for details)	Portage County	Wisconsin	USA
	Fiber Availability Percent The percentage of households in Portage County that have a Fiber internet connection available to their home.	74.65%	57.90%	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.	2,593 Mbps	2,751 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 Portage County.	5.4	7.3	6.8

 

Portage County Digital Connectivity Index: 63 / 100

	Metric (hover for details)	Portage County	Wisconsin	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.	11%	12%	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.	95%	94%	95%
	Households with InternetA higher percentage of households with internet indicates a higher need for usage and connectivity in people’s daily lives.	92%	90%	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.	77%	73%	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.	80%	74%	76%

Portage County ISP Report Card & Digital Connectivity Index

The ISP Report Card in Portage County is B-, which is better than other counties. The local demand for broadband internet connectivity in Portage County is high with a score of 63 / 100 in our Digital Connectivity Index. This means that internet service providers operating in Portage County have done a good job meeting the needs of its residents.

The Portage 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.

92% of Portage County households have an internet connection despite having 96.11% availability. 77% of households have fiber, cable, or DSL, 4% 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 77% of households have a broadband connection such as fiber, cable or DSL available to their home, 80% subscribe to it. A large amount of Portage 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 Portage County?

How Much Speed does a Portage County Household Need?

Higher speed is typically preferred, but that comes at a higher price. The average size of a household in Portage County is 2.3, which is smaller than the Wisconsin average of 2.4 and smaller than the national average of 2.7. Portage County's average household income is $74,920 which is higher than the Wisconsin average of $82,094 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.

Portage County also has 18% of its population enrolled in school between the 6th grade and college level, this is higher than the Wisconsin average of 15%. Additionally, 11% of residents work from home, which is lower than the 12% of residents in Wisconsin who work from home. This and other factors you can see above show us that the community of Portage County has a high need for internet connectivity and speeds.

Compared to the rest of the country, Portage County households are more technology-engaged. 95% of households have some sort of computing device, 87% have desktops or laptops in the home, and 91% have smartphones. To see what speeds you are currently getting, please visit our internet speed test tool.

Which Fiber Internet Providers are Available in Portage County?

Which Cable Internet Providers are Available in Portage County?

Which DSL Internet Providers are Available in Portage County?

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

Which ISP Should You Choose in Portage 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 Portage County is Amherst Communications.
• The fastest internet provider should be TDS. Considering speed for the money and reliability in speeds, Amherst Communications may be a better choice based on real-world local customer feedback.
• The most affordable internet provider in Portage County is Spectrum.
• HughesNet, US Cellular, and Viasat has the broadest coverage in Portage 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 Portage County compare to other cities with a similar population?

To see how Portage 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 Portage County's B- ISP Report Card and 63 / 100 Digital Connectivity Index.