Fidium Fiber vs. Viasat 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.

Viasat offers simplified pricing with promotional discounts for new customers Viasat restructured its residential pricing in March 2024 to create a more straightforward plan structure. The company now primarily offers two options: Viasat Unleashed and Viasat Essentials. Viasat Unleashed is the company's flagship residential plan, available to approximately 93% of customers. Pricing ranges from $69.99 to $119.99 per month depending on geographic location, with speeds up to 150 Mbps in select markets. This plan operates month-to-month with no contract required, allowing customers to cancel anytime without early termination fees. Unleashed includes unlimited high-speed data, though customers trending toward exceeding 850GB in a 30-day period may experience reduced priority during network congestion, resulting in slower speeds. Viasat Essentials serves as the budget-friendly alternative, offering speeds ranging from 12 to 50 Mbps at a promotional price of $39.99 per month. Unlike Unleashed, Essentials requires a 12-month contract commitment. Customers who cancel early pay a $15 early termination fee for each remaining month on the contract. New customer promotions: Viasat currently (as of December 2025) offers new residential customers $30 per month off their first three months of service, reducing Essentials pricing to as low as $39.99/month initially. Customers must mention this promotional offer when ordering to receive the discount. Data management: While Viasat markets its plans as "unlimited data," there are practical usage considerations. The company defines "typical usage" as trending not to exceed 850GB in any 30-day period. Customers who regularly exceed this threshold may have their connection deprioritized during times of network congestion, similar to how cellular carriers manage heavy data users. However, Viasat does not charge overage fees or completely throttle speeds—deprioritization only occurs when the network experiences congestion. Viasat offers "Free Zone" hours during off-peak times when data usage doesn't count toward monthly totals, allowing customers to schedule large downloads or updates strategically.

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.

Satellite technology provides reliable connectivity with inherent speed and latency limitations Viasat delivers internet service via geostationary satellites orbiting approximately 22,000 miles above Earth's equator. This technology ultimately determines both the advantages and limitations of the service. Speed performance: Viasat advertises speeds up to 150 Mbps on its Unleashed plans in select markets, representing a significant improvement over the company's legacy offerings. However, actual speeds vary considerably by location and network conditions. Real-world testing shows Viasat's average download speeds hover around 2.82 Mbps to 5 Mbps in many areas—far below advertised maximums.  Upload speeds remain asymmetrical and significantly slower than downloads across all Viasat plans, typically ranging from 3-5 Mbps. This asymmetry affects activities requiring substantial uploads, such as video conferencing, content creation, cloud backups, and sharing large files. Latency concerns: The most significant technical limitation of geostationary satellite internet is latency—the time delay for data to travel to the satellite and back. Viasat customers typically experience latency between 600-700 milliseconds. By comparison, cable and fiber connections deliver latency of 20-40 milliseconds. This high latency makes real-time applications challenging. Online gaming suffers from noticeable lag that puts satellite users at a disadvantage in competitive play. Video conferencing experiences delays that create awkward pauses in conversation. VoIP phone calls may have echo or timing issues. Websites and applications that require frequent back-and-forth communication feel sluggish compared to wired connections. Weather sensitivity: Satellite internet experiences "rain fade"—temporary signal degradation or complete interruption during heavy rain, snow, or thick cloud cover. This is a major limitation of the technology as precipitation absorbs and scatters the radio frequency signals traveling between the satellite dish and orbiting spacecraft. Service typically returns automatically once weather clears, but customers should expect periodic outages during severe weather events. Reliability advantages: Despite these limitations, satellite internet offers reliability benefits that terrestrial connections cannot match. The service continues functioning during disasters that damage ground-based infrastructure such as hurricanes, floods, or wildfires that destroy cable lines. This makes satellite internet valuable for emergency preparedness and explains why military and maritime operations rely on the technology.

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.

Professional installation required with lease or purchase equipment options Viasat requires professional installation—customers cannot self-install the satellite dish and modem equipment. A certified technician visits the property to mount the dish, align it precisely with Viasat's satellites, run cabling into the home, and connect the WiFi modem. Installation process: Standard installation typically costs $99.99 as a one-time fee, though Viasat frequently waives this charge during promotional periods. The actual installation cost varies based on results from a soft credit check and the complexity of the installation site. Customers with qualifying credit may receive free installation, while non-standard installations requiring additional labor or materials may incur charges exceeding $100. The installation appointment usually takes several hours. The technician must find an optimal location for the satellite dish that provides unobstructed southern sky view, securely mount the dish, run coaxial cable from the dish to the modem location inside the home, install the modem, and conduct signal testing to ensure proper alignment.  Equipment options: Viasat offers two payment structures for the required satellite dish and modem equipment. Customers can choose either a monthly lease at $15 per month or a one-time lifetime lease payment of $250. The lifetime lease option is basically prepayment for equipment use as long as the customer maintains Viasat service—it is not a purchase, and equipment must still be returned if service is canceled. Mathematically, the lifetime lease becomes cost-effective after approximately 17 months of service ($250 ÷ $15/month = 16.67 months). Customers planning to maintain Viasat service for multiple years save money with the upfront payment, while those uncertain about long-term commitment benefit from the monthly rental's flexibility. Equipment return requirements: When customers cancel Viasat service, they must return all company-owned equipment including the modem. However, the satellite dish itself typically remains mounted on the property—Viasat does not send technicians to remove dishes, and customers who want removal face a fee or must arrange removal themselves.  Failure to return the modem and other returnable equipment results in unreturned equipment fees added to the final bill. Viasat provides instructions and return shipping materials for equipment return. Dish relocation: Customers who move to a new address while maintaining Viasat service can have their dish relocated for a $200 fee. This requires a new technician visit to properly mount and align the dish at the new location. Alternatively, customers can cancel service at one address and establish new service at another address, though this involves separate installation processes and fees. Optional protection plans: Viasat offers EasyCare service plans that cover technical support, service calls, and equipment protection. Multiple EasyCare tiers provide different levels of coverage, with promotional offers including the first three months free for EasyCare and EasyCare+, or reduced rates for EasyCare Premium during the first three months.

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.

Mixed customer experiences reflect satellite internet's technological constraints Viasat does not appear in major national customer satisfaction surveys like J.D. Power, but multiple independent sources provide insight into customer experiences. The ratings paint a picture of divided opinions—satisfaction strongly correlates with customers' expectations and alternative options. The American Customer Satisfaction Index rates Viasat within the "All Others" category at 64 out of 100 [15]. For context, the best internet service providers score 73 out of 100, while the worst score 55 out of 100. Viasat's positioning below the industry average of 70 indicates systemic challenges, though it avoids falling into the bottom tier of ISP performance. What customers praise: Positive reviews consistently highlight several strengths. Customers in rural areas express appreciation for having internet access at all—many note that Viasat represents their only option for broadband speed. Installation technicians receive frequent compliments for professionalism, friendliness, and thoroughness during setup appointments. The service maintains reliability except during severe weather, and customers value 24/7 customer support availability for troubleshooting issues. Some customers report satisfactory speeds for their needs, particularly those with modest usage focused on email, web browsing, and occasional streaming. Long-time subscribers who remember the limitations of dial-up internet or earlier satellite services view Viasat's current speeds as substantial improvements. Common complaints: Negative reviews cluster around predictable issues inherent to satellite technology. Speeds frequently fall far short of advertised maximums, with customers reporting actual performance in the single-digit megabit range despite paying for plans marketed at 100-150 Mbps [16]. High latency makes online gaming frustrating or impossible, creates awkward delays in video calls, and causes general sluggishness when browsing websites. Data usage tracking generates significant frustration. Customers report reaching their soft 850GB cap quickly—sometimes within days—despite limited usage patterns. The company's data usage measurements don't always align with customer understanding of their activities, leading to disputes about whether deprioritization is justified. This issue particularly affects households with multiple users, gaming consoles, or 4K streaming habits. Billing problems appear frequently in customer feedback. Reviewers report being charged after cancellation, experiencing unexpected price increases, receiving conflicting information from different customer service representatives, and struggling to obtain refunds or credits [17]. Multiple customers describe discovering they had been charged for years after supposedly canceling service—a serious red flag regarding the company's billing and cancellation procedures [18]. The equipment return policy creates frustration, particularly the expectation that customers remove roof-mounted satellite dishes themselves or pay additional fees for removal. Elderly customers and those with mobility limitations find this requirement unreasonable and potentially dangerous. Weather interruptions: As expected with satellite technology, heavy rain or snow causes temporary service disruptions. While customers understand this limitation, the practical impact—losing internet during storms when they might most need it for weather updates or emergency communication—generates overall dissatisfaction. Customer service quality: Experiences with Viasat's support team vary widely. Some customers praise quick resolution times and helpful representatives, while others report long hold times, representatives who cannot resolve issues, and internal communication breakdowns where different departments provide conflicting information. Ultimately, customer satisfaction needs to be understood within the context that satellite internet serves areas lacking better alternatives. Customers with access to cable, fiber, or even quality 5G fixed wireless service generally choose those options over satellite. Viasat's customer base includes many people who reluctantly accept satellite's limitations because no other broadband option exists in their area. Compared to its direct satellite competitors, Viasat positions between HughesNet (generally viewed as slower and more restrictive) and Starlink (faster speeds and lower latency, but higher equipment costs). For rural customers evaluating satellite options, Viasat offers a middle ground with better performance than legacy satellite providers, more affordable equipment than Starlink, but technological limitations that prevent it from competing with terrestrial broadband.