Best Internet Providers in Polk City, Florida

What’s the best internet provider in Polk City?

According to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission, only around 3% of households in Polk City have access to 1,000Mbps download speeds and only 56% of rural households have access to speeds of 250Mbps. 

There are a few decent internet options to choose from in Polk City, though availability is limited. CNET’s pick for the best internet service provider in the city is Spectrum Internet. Spectrum is one of the most broadly available internet services in Polk City, according to the FCC, with coverage extending to 93% of households. Plus, Spectrum’s recent speed increases and price slashes mean you can get either 500Mbps or 1,000Mbps for $50 or $70 monthly, respectively. The gig tier makes Spectrum the fastest internet provider in the city.

There are several fixed wireless options for customers across Polk City, including satellite internetand 5G internet. Of these, CNET’s pick for the best fixed wireless provider in Polk City is Verizon 5G Home Internet because of its availability and decent average speeds. You can turn to satellite internet if you’re located in a more rural area and not eligible for internet service from either Verizon 5G Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet. CNET’s pick for the best rural internet option in Polk City is Starlink. Although Starlink has high upfront costs and a monthly fee of $120, its speeds are fairly consistent.

Most internet providers in the city start with monthly rates at $50, so there’s not exactly a cheap internet option per se. You may be eligible for Spectrum, T-Mobile and Verizon discounts if you bundle your internet plan with a mobile one. In the case of T-Mobile and Spectrum, you can knock your monthly rate down to as low as $30 a month.

Other available Polk City internet providers

• AT&T Internet Air: AT&T’s 5G internet option is a worthy competitor to T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G, although it has some catching up to do with availability. AT&T Internet Air is available to around 30% of Polk City, according to the FCC, making it a solid option if you can get it. Speeds range from 75 to 225bps for $60 a month. There are no contracts, hidden fees or data caps.
• Hughesnet: Hughesnet offers three different internet plans, but they all require a two-year contract. Therefore, you should consider Hughesnet a last resort when it comes to getting a reliable internet connection in Polk City. With Hughesnet’s Fusion Plan, you can pay $50 monthly for 50Mbps, $65 monthly for 100Mbps or $95 monthly for 100Mbps. Just keep in mind that every plan is subject to a $25 price jump after the first year.
• T-Mobile Home Internet: T-Mobile offers 5G home internet throughout 42% of Polk City and is a solid internet option. For $50 a month you can get speeds between 72 to 245Mbps and for $20 extra a month you can add a mesh Wi-Fi Access Point for more reliable speeds throughout the house. There are no contracts, monthly equipment charges or installation fees — just a one-time $35 activation fee.
• Viasat: Viasat covers 100% of Polk City, so your address is likely eligible for coverage. There’s just one plan: a flat $100 monthly for speeds up to 150Mbps. There’s a $15 monthly equipment charge, which you can bypass by buying the equipment upfront for $250. There’s technically unlimited data but only 850GB of priority data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Polk City

The best internet deals and top promotions in Polk City depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers. 

Polk City internet providers, like Verizon 5G and Spectrum, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including Starlink, run the same standard pricing year-round. 

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How fast is Polk City broadband?

Polk City doesn’t have a lot of speedy internet options. Spectrum offers the only internet plan with speeds up to 1,000Mbps. In some cases, you may be able to get up to 1,000Mbps with Verizon 5G, but that’s not a guaranteed speed.

Fastest internet plans in Polk City

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you’re looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here’s an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

• 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics: browsing the internet, sending and receiving email and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
• 40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming. 
• 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming. 
• 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Polk City

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary pricing, availability and speed database that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

It doesn’t end there: We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
3. Are customers happy with their service?

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Polk City FAQs