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Staff Review
Mediacom offers low monthly promo prices, but check for data caps and price hikes
Mediacom was founded in 1995 and is owned by billionaire Rocco Commisso. (Fun fact: Commisso also currently owns the New York Cosmos soccer team [1]!) Mediacom ranks as the ninth-largest internet provider in the nation [2]. Mediacom offers service in over 20 states and is the largest cable provider in Iowa and the second-largest in Illinois. As a cable internet provider, Mediacom will give you reliable internet at gigabit speed, often at super-low promotional discounts.Their internet service is called Xtream. Unfortunately, Mediacom will often hike your monthly rates sharply when your initial promotions run out. Even more importantly, their lower-end plans will give you monthly data caps, which will cause overage charges or throttling if you run over your limit. Mediacom’s data caps for its first-tier Xtream plan are much lower than data limits for most cable internet. That’s a big deal, as it can affect your price or internet performance.Pros
Unusually fast cable speeds up to even 2 Gigabits Offers very low promotional rates No required contracts
Cons
Fastest speeds not available in all service areas Prices rise sharply when promo rates expire Restrictive data caps for plans under 1 Gig
Pricing
Attractive promotional pricing marred by low data caps on some plans, price hikes on all plans
Mediacom is one of only a few cable companies in the U.S. that offers a promo price of $19.99/month for a year. While that price seems outstanding, there are some drawbacks. That first tier plan, known as Internet 250, has a downstream data cap of 400 GB per month. This is low compared to other cable internet data caps, which are more typically capped at 1 TB (1000 GB). Some cable companies don’t have caps at all, which makes Mediacom look worse in comparison. The data cap may affect your total price, because if you go over your monthly limit, you will pay $10 for every 50GB over your allowance. In addition, there is a major additional fee hiding behind every Mediacom plan: the extra modem fee of $14/month. So don’t forget that a company that offers you $19.99/month plus a $14 modem fee is no better deal than another company with a $34.00/month rate that includes all your equipment at no extra charge. The prices for Mediacom plans also experience sharp increases after the first year. For example, that first-tier plan jumps from $19.99 to $49.99. And on top of that, you still have to pay the modem fee, which would take you to about $65. Suddenly, your Internet 250 is no bargain! And the other plans experience similar price hikes that basically double your monthly payment after the first year. There is one bright spot in Mediacom’s pricing. The company does have a plan for low-income customers to try to ease the burden of a high monthly internet price. Called Xtream Connect, the discounted plan is only for those who qualify by receiving certain other federal benefits. For example, if you are in SNAP or Medicaid or SSI, you would qualify for this plan. Families who have a child in the National School Lunch Program will qualify for the lowest rate of all, at only $14.99/month with no extra modem fee or deposit required.Reliability and Performance
Gigabit speeds can even be symmetrical through HFC technology
Cable internet has come a long way from its humble beginnings in coaxial cable. Because most cable internet now runs on a fiber spine (HFC), you can get gigabit download speeds if you want them. And here’s something even more unusual. Xtream offers a 1 Gig symmetrical plan – in other words, you get 1000 Mbps download AND 1000 Mbps upload speed. Usually, you would need a 100% fiber plan for this. But Mediacom is on the leading edge of hybrid fiber coaxial development [3]. Because the company is beginning to implement the standard called DOCSIS 4.0, Mediacom is one of the first cable providers to bring you a gigabit symmetrical speed plan [4]. That is far beyond the upload speed of almost any other available cable plan. Cable usually tops out at an upload speed of 50 Mbps, which is much slower than fiber’s symmetrical speeds. In some places, Mediacom even offers a 2 Gig plan. The 2 Gig plan is not symmetrical, but its upload speed is still lightning-fast at 1 Gig.Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Extra modem fee packs a wallop on your monthly bill
As mentioned in our pricing section, the extra equipment fees for Mediacom can add up quickly. First, there’s the $14 modem fee. installation is $109.99, which also contrasts with the many ISPs that now offer free or discounted installation. Then there’s another $10.00 activation fee. If your router is on special as it is currently, you may get its use free for a year, but the standard rate is $10/month for the eero360Pro. With all these extra fees, you can see why the FCC just required internet service providers to give full advance disclosure of all the costs you will pay with an internet plan! [5] Mediacom also became one of the newest cable companies to offer its own bundled mobile service for your smartphone [6]. This service, called MVNO, means that you get carrier service from Verizon’s network, but Mediacom administers your plan.Customer Experience & Support
Scores are below average for customer satisfaction
Mediacom has many of the online customer support features of the top national providers. You can pay your bill online. You can chat with support from 9 am to 9 pm every day. Or you can call by phone. But despite the support, customers aren’t delighted, according to the 2023 JD Power Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study. Mediacom ranked at the bottom of the survey in the North Central area of the United States, which is the only region in which it was rated [7]. Given that the internet itself is fast and reliable, we would usually recommend Mediacom and its Xtream Internet. We just wish they would drop all the extra fees and simplify pricing. It’s a good product, but extra business fees that differ significantly from the advertised monthly plan price will always lead to less satisfied customers.FAQ's
100% fiber is not a focus for Mediacom’s Xtream service. Instead, they are leading the advancement of speed in hybrid cable internet technology (HFC) as they upgrade to DOCSIS 4.0
No, renting the modem from Mediacom will add another $14 to your monthly plan cost.
Yes, Xtream Connect is a discounted service for qualifying low-income households. To qualify, you must be receiving other federal low-income benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, or SSI. The National School Lunch program will qualify your household for the largest discount.
No, there are no required contracts for Mediacom.
Yes, Mediacom has some unusual data caps on its two internet plans below 1 Gigabit. Be aware that the Internet250 plan has a 400 GB data cap, which is low enough that you may run over it in a month. The internet 500 plan has a 2000 GB data allowance, which is high enough for most households not to exceed it.
Xtream service is available in over 20 states, and Mediacom is one of the largest providers in Iowa and Illinois.
Sources
[1] Wikipedia.com. "Mediacom." [2] Dgtlinfra.com. "Top Internet Providers in the U.S." [3] LightReading.com. "Mediacom Kicks Off Its 10G Push." [4] Fierce-Network.com. "Mediacom Gets the DOCSIS 4.0 Party Started in Iowa." [5] FCC.gov. "Consumer Broadband Labels Now Required." [6] MobileWorldLive.com. "Mediacom becomes latest U.S. cable player to Launch MVNO." [7] JDPower.com. "2023 U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study."
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