Fidium Fiber vs. EarthLink Internet Providers Compared

Fidium Fiber offers good pricing and fast fiber.

Fidium Fiber launched as a residential fiber brand in late 2021 under parent company Consolidated Communications. In September 2025, Consolidated Communications completed a major transformation by uniting all its residential, business, and wholesale operations under the single Fidium brand [1,2], effectively retiring the Consolidated Communications name for customer-facing services. Fidium now represents all the company's fiber-based solutions nationwide and serves more than 75 percent of its broadband customers [2,3]. Available in more than 700 communities [2,3], Fidium currently operates in 8 states: California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Vermont [1]. The company offers competitive pricing across all plans, with their lowest-priced residential plan starting at 100 Mbps and maximum speeds reaching 2000 Mbps. A Wi-Fi 6 gateway rental is included with monthly fees, and Fidium requires no contracts or data caps. The company has invested approximately $1.7 billion in fiber infrastructure since 2020 and earned recognition as one of the nation's top 10 fiber networks by route miles [2,3]. The company is on track to reach more than 80 percent of its footprint with fiber within the next few years [1,2]. This expansion strategy continues to prioritize underserved communities, particularly in rural areas where high-speed internet options have historically been limited, differentiating Fidium from providers that focus primarily on dense urban markets. The unified Fidium brand now encompasses three service lines: Fidium Fiber for residential customers, Fidium Business for commercial clients, and Fidium Wholesale for carrier and infrastructure providers. Searchlight Capital acquired the company in late 2024 and is undergoing a leadership transition, with current COO Gaurav Juneja set to become CEO in early 2026 [4].

Fidium Fiber’s pricing is simple, transparent, and matches other best deals.

Fidium Fiber offers competitive prices across the board, with no hidden fees. Understanding Fidium Fiber's pricing structure reveals significant advantages over traditional cable internet providers, who typically use promotional pricing that increases substantially after 12-24 months. The entry-level plan, currently starting at $30/month, offers 100 Mbps download and upload speeds. For families on tight budgets, this is one of the most affordable first-tier plan prices you'll find in the fiber industry. With those symmetrical speeds, you will get very good internet performance for activities like video conferencing. Fidium Fiber's 1 Gig plan, at $55 per month, translates to approximately 5.5 cents per Mbps—among the most competitive rates in the fiber industry. By comparison, entry-level fiber from providers like AT&T or Verizon typically ranges from 10-15 cents per Mbps. Best of all, you will get transparent, straightforward pricing from Fidium Fiber that is much easier to understand than the complex pricing of many other internet service providers (ISPs). Fidium Fiber requires no contracts, no bundling, and no data caps. That means you won't face bills with unexpected overage charges or early termination fees. This customer-friendly policy contrasts sharply with many traditional providers who lock customers into annual agreements with substantial penalty fees. You also won't have the usual $100 installation cost for new internet, as Fidium Fiber offers free professional installation. Fidium Fiber will include the use of a modem/router with your monthly plan price.

Earthlink will charge you more initially, but prices even out by the second or third year

Many internet service providers will offer you a great promotional price for a year or two, but then raise prices much higher. Earthlink will not offer you initial promotional prices, so their plans may initially give you sticker shock. For initial prices, Earthlink will charge you more for every type of internet service: fiber, fixed wireless, or satellite. But in some cases, over the course of a few years, you may even end up saving a little money with Earthlink. Only a head-to-head comparison of specific providers in your area will tell you, so check out our price plan comparisons using your zip code.

Pricing will also vary significantly based on your internet connection type

The biggest difference between Earthlink plans is whether your chosen plan has a data cap. Earthlink Fiber internet won’t have data caps. Earthlink satellite internet and fixed wireless (4G LTE or 5G) will have data caps. If you have a plan with data caps, you may end up having to buy extra data at the end of the month. Because of these unpredictable charges, satellite pricing and fixed wireless pricing for Earthlink are less stable than for their other plans. But here’s an unusual benefit of Earthlink Wireless Home Internet. Most Earthlink plans require a one-year contract, but Earthlink’s Wireless Home Internet plans do not require a contract [2].

Fidium Fiber brings the speed and reliability of fiber to new service areas.

Fidium Fiber offers symmetrical speeds ranging from 100 Mbps to 2000 Mbps, depending on your plan. That's great news if you live in a town that hasn't had fiber internet before. According to Federal Communications Commission data, Fidium Fiber currently reaches approximately 1.56 million fiber passings across more than 700 communities in eight states. The company plans to expand to 2 million passings by the end of 2027, with coverage concentrated in the Northeast—particularly Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Secondary markets include Illinois, Minnesota, and Texas, while California, Pennsylvania, and other states have more limited availability. You can call our experts at 1-833-438-0953 to quickly discover if Fidium is available in your area. Fidium Fiber's symmetrical speed delivery represents a fundamental advantage over cable internet technology. The practical implications become apparent in real-world usage scenarios: home-based professionals uploading large files, families sharing content on social media, and households using cloud storage services experience dramatically improved performance with Fidium Fiber compared to cable alternatives. Network latency, a critical factor for gaming and video conferencing, benefits significantly from fiber-optic technology. Fidium Fiber connections typically deliver latency measurements under 10 milliseconds to nearby servers, compared to 15-30 milliseconds common with cable internet connections. This reduced latency creates noticeable improvements in online gaming responsiveness and video call quality. The dedicated nature of fiber connections provides another performance advantage. Cable internet systems share bandwidth among multiple households in a service area, potentially causing speed reductions during peak usage times. Fidium Fiber's infrastructure design maintains consistent speeds regardless of neighborhood usage patterns, ensuring reliable performance throughout the day. Peak hour performance stability makes Fidium Fiber particularly valuable for households with multiple users and devices. Some Fidium Fiber customers have said that they are not getting their promised speeds, but others report being very satisfied [7]. If you have any doubts, you can test your actual speed here to see what kind of performance your current internet connection is giving you.

Earthlink’s performance depends completely on the networks of major partners

One of Earthlink’s claims to fame is having “the largest network,” because Earthlink serves 90% of the United States [1]. The reality is that Earthlink does have a very large coverage area, but Earthlink does not own the networks in those areas. Differences between Earthlink’s partner networks will mean that your internet speed and performance will vary if you sign up with Earthlink. Just like Earthlink’s pricing, the quality of the service they can deliver depends on other providers. Most of the time, this works out fine because Earthlink partners with reputable ISPs. But Earthlink does not have control over your service, and that can be a disadvantage if something goes wrong. If you get Earthlink Fiber, you are probably going to be happy with your speed and reliability. Fiber is known for these advantages. Earthlink satellite or fixed wireless will often be too slow for real-timeactivities such as real-time gaming or videoconferencing. Reliability issues are going to be more likely with Earthlink’s satellite internet or Wireless Home Internet. Both satellite and wireless internet can be affected by weather. Fixed wireless can also slow down at peak times when thenetwork is congested with more traffic. Satellite internet tends to have high latency, which means a slight lag in the transmission of a signal. Latency is not noticeable for many internet activities but may affect real-time data transfer for gaming and videoconferencing.

Free installation, free equipment loan with Fidium Fiber internet plans.

Several fiber ISPs will offer you good promotional prices and no contracts. They may even offer no data caps, as Fidium Fiber does. But very few ISPs also offer free installation for all their plans. The free installation for Fidium Fiber is a nice touch, meaning you don't have to invest upfront to get Fidium Fiber. Fidium Fiber's installation process demonstrates the company's commitment to professional service and customer convenience. The free professional installation (typically a $199 value) includes a comprehensive setup of fiber-optic infrastructure, extending from the street connection to a complete in-home network configuration. Professional technicians handle all aspects of the installation, including running fiber-optic cables to the optimal location within your home, installing the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) that converts light signals to electrical data, and configuring the Wi-Fi 6 Gateway for optimal coverage throughout your residence. Fidium Fiber will provide you with free use of a Wi-Fi 6 Gateway and a whole-home Attune Wi-Fi app, allowing you to control all your devices. The Wi-Fi 6 Gateway may have equipment rental fees depending on the plan (typically around $10/month for lower-tier plans, with some higher-speed plans including equipment at no additional cost). The gateway represents current-generation wireless technology that provides improved performance for homes with multiple connected devices, offering enhanced capacity for various connections, reduced latency, and better performance in environments with numerous smart home devices, tablets, smartphones, and computers. The Attune Wi-Fi app provides comprehensive network management capabilities that go beyond basic router administration. If you have smart home devices, the app will be especially useful. Users can monitor data usage patterns, set parental controls for specific devices, prioritize bandwidth for critical applications, and troubleshoot connection issues without requiring technical expertise. It's also convenient to have a network management app when you want to adjust your settings without logging into your router. Installation flexibility includes evening and weekend appointment availability, recognizing that many customers prefer installation times that don't interfere with work schedules. The commitment to next-day installation availability in many areas reflects Fidium Fiber's focus on customer convenience and quick service activation. For customers who prefer to use their existing networking equipment, Fidium Fiber accommodates personal router preferences while ensuring the fiber connection delivers optimal performance.

Earthlink’s installation fees and equipment fees vary

We can't give a score for any kind of consistent pricing or equipment fees because of Earthlink's 3rd party seller business model. Earthlink’s lower rating from us in this category results from the lack of simple, freely available information on pricing and fees on their website, as well as their higher prices for equipment and installation. This lack of transparency is one of the weaknesses of the telecom industry. We recommend that Earthlink, along with other internet providers, begin to be much more straightforward about which services are available across the United States and how much they cost in each area. Satellite equipment will cost you considerably more if you buy it upfront, which is typical of satellite. Earthlink will offer you the option to rent the equipment if that is more feasible. Satellite equipment will come from Viasat, Earthlink’s satellite internet partner. Because Viasat’s equipment fees are $12.99/month or $299.99 prepaid, consumers should estimate that Earthlink’s fees for Viasat equipment will be similar or slightly higher [3]. Earthlink’s bonus services include Easy Tech for unlimited tech support at $9.95 a month. Earthlink Guardian provides parental monitoring, Earthlink Protect gives security protection, and Earthlink Online Backup will protect you from data loss.

Reviews are high for Fidium Fiber’s customer service and operations.

Fidium has grown substantially from its initial customer base of approximately 123,000 fiber broadband customers at the end of 2022 [8]. With about 1.56 million current fiber passings and plans to reach about 2 million by the end of 2027 [10], the company has demonstrated significant scaling capabilities in its buildout efforts. The customer service landscape has matured considerably since launch. Fidium has earned one of the industry's highest Net Promoter Scores [1,2], indicating the company has successfully addressed many of the operational growing pains typical of new fiber providers. Early customer complaints about installation delays, communication issues, and service inconsistencies have been resolved as the company refined its processes and expanded its workforce. The local technician model continues to differentiate Fidium from national providers, offering more personalized service and a deeper knowledge of regional infrastructure challenges. Customer service quality has become more consistent across markets as the company has standardized operations and increased staffing levels to meet growing demand. Beyond the continued absence of data caps and contracts, Fidium has expanded its customer-focused approach across all service lines. The company's operational improvements have resulted in more reliable installation schedules, improved communication with customers, and more consistent delivery of promised speeds, addressing the specific pain points that characterized early customer feedback. With funding opportunities through the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment program [10], Fidium is positioned to accelerate its rural expansion strategy while maintaining the service quality improvements that have driven its high customer satisfaction ratings.

Earthlink is known above all for superior customer service

When you research Earthlink online, you will see that Earthlink survives on its customer service. The company gets good, solid ratings for customer service, where many ISPs fall far short. That means that if you call Earthlink, odds are that you will be satisfied with what they do for you. There are just a couple of caveats to that recommendation. First, some customers report that their customer service has been routed to Earthlink’s partner providers, which removes the whole point of having Earthlink service if you’re seeking their brand of better customer service. Second, Earthlink acknowledged beginning to “reshore” its service in September 2021, which implicitly reveals that the company had offshored its customer service [4]. Offshoring customer service to foreign countries is not only potentially frustrating for the customer, but worse for U.S. workers. Many internet providers now base their customer service in the United States, and we hope Earthlink will be sure to provide its own customer support from within the country.