Best Internet Providers in Kingsport, Tennessee

What is the best internet provider in Kingsport, Tennessee?

Spectrum Internet is Kingsport’s best internet service provider for most residents, thanks to wide availability and stable speeds. Residents of this picturesque mountain town can still secure a fast internet connection, with some neighborhoods in the southern parts of Kingsport also available for fiber internet. And Spectrum especially stands out compared to the average speeds of local cable and fixed wireless providers.

If Spectrum is not available to you or you prefer to avoid it sharp increase in prices after one to two years of service, you may be better suited with Internet service from your local provider BrightRidge Broadband or Verizon’s 5G home internet the service. BrightRidge offers fiber internet plans starting at $60 per month and Verizon offers plans starting at $50 per month. Most internet plans in Kingsport start at $50, so there isn’t exactly a “cheap” internet plan. BrightRidge offers a $40/month fixed wireless plan for 25Mbps down/3Mbps up, but thanks to an updated definition from the Federal Communications Commission, it no longer qualifies as broadband connection, so we don’t recommend it unless that’s all you can get.

The fastest Internet in Kingsport is BrightRidge’s fiber optic plans, which boast speeds of up to 10,000 Mbps. BrightRidge is mostly limited to the southern neighborhoods of Kingsport, around Summer Hills, Deerfield and Lake Crest, but if you qualify for its fiber-optic Internet, you won’t find faster speeds in the area.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find deals and promotions online in Kingsport

The best internet deals and top promotions in Kingsport depend on what discounts are available during a certain time. Most deals are short-lived, but we often look for the latest deals.

Kingsport Internet providers, such as Spectrum and Verizon, may offer lower introductory prices or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, including Brightspeed and BrightRidge Broadband have the same standard prices year-round.

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

What is 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 video conferencing, video streaming, or gaming, you’ll have a better experience with a stronger connection. Here is a summary of the minimum recommended download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are guidelines only 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 5 Mbps lets you handle the basics: web browsing, sending and receiving email, and streaming low-quality video.
• 5 to 40 Mbps gives you the highest quality video streaming and video conferencing.
• 40 to 100 Mbps should give a user enough bandwidth to meet the demands of modern telecommunications, video streaming and online gaming.
• 100 to 500 Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities such as video conferencing, streaming, and online gaming.
• 500 to 1000 Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.

How CNET picked the best Internet providers in Kingsport

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

It doesn’t stop there: We go to the FCC website to check our records and make sure we account for every ISP that provides service in an area. We also enter local addresses into provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look to sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and JD Power, to gauge how satisfied customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent change; all information provided is correct as of publication.

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

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Are customers getting good value for what they are paying for?
3. Are customers satisfied with their service?

The answer to these questions is often layered and complex, but the providers that come closest to saying “yes” to all three are the ones we recommend. When choosing the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also take into account things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively simple. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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

Internet Providers in Kingsport FAQ