Windstream vs. Internet Providers Compared

Pricing varies widely for internet plans from Kinetic by Windstream

Kinetic by Windstream currently has about 1.2 million customers in 18 states [2]. Kinetic’s prices vary a great deal by location across this wide coverage area. In some areas, you will get their DSL for a promotional price of $30/month for a year, which is much less expensive than most DSL plans. But at the end of the first year, the price will revert to a standard fee of $55-85/month. And in many locations, the starting rate will be $60/month instead for the first year. Fiber prices also vary along with speeds. The one guarantee is that you’ll get more speed for your dollar with fiber. But mostly, Kinetic’s prices are in line with industry averages. Your standard Kinetic rates for fiber will vary from $65-200 for speeds from 300-2000 Mbps. Kinetic’s 1 Gig starts at a $70/month promotional rate for a year, then goes to $95/month. These rates are about average industry rates for fiber internet at the speeds delivered. On the bright side, Kinetic does not set data caps or require you to sign annual contracts for internet plans. Kinetic by Windstream also participates in the Affordable Connectivity Program from the FCC. This federal program offers payment assistance of up to $30/month for qualifying lower-income households. If you live on qualifying tribal lands, you may be eligible for an assistance payment up to $75/month.

Windstream unveils new 8-Gig access to claim largest 8-Gig provider title

Windstream recently announced that as of July 2023, the company will have 8-Gig internet speeds available to 400,000 households across their 18-state coverage area [1]. 8-Gig internet speeds are at the fastest end of residential internet speeds, and with this achievement, Windstream is making its bid to win some of the internet speed wars. The question is who exactly needs 8 Gigs of symmetrical internet speed. At the moment, 8 Gigs is excessive speed for most residential internet users. 1 Gig will more than supply all the bandwidth that most homes need. Even very large households with multiple devices all streaming or gaming simultaneously don’t usually need more than 1 Gig, thanks to the symmetrical speeds of fiber internet. Even half of 1 Gig (500 Mbps) is usually capable of supporting a five- or six-person home and all the devices in it. For now, then, 8 Gigs may not be a speed that gets a lot of takers. But in the future, as virtual reality (VR) and assisted reality (AR) become more common, that massive bandwidth may be more useful. DSL performance will vary as it always does by location. But Kinetic’s DSL speeds reach the FCC’s standard for high-speed internet (25 Mbps/3 Mbps) for over 85% of its customers [3]. That speed is better than the average speed of broadband for DSL providers.

Equipment fee is optional, but Kinetic activation fee is required

Kinetic charges about $10 a month to rent a Kinetic gateway (modem/router combo). You can also use your own modem/router. If you buy your own, though, you will need to make sure it is compatible. ISPs also do not provide tech support for customers’ personal modems and routers. Kinetic also offers a Wi-Fi management tool for their own gateway that will allow you to change your settings without all the hassle of logging in to your router online. The activation fee is $60 most of the time when you have to pay it. However, many times, you will get a credit for online orders or other promotions that will offset the fee. The website’s small print reveals that for some DSL “extended installations,” you may need to pay a $750 advance fee to proceed with the extended copper line burial. We assume this is not common. While you might choose to pay that high fee in some cases to get wired internet service, you certainly would have to consider your other options as well.

Kinetic by Windstream improves its customer experience

Kinetic scored just slightly lower than average for customer satisfaction on the 2022 J.D. Power Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study [4]. But the good news is that in 2022, Kinetic’s score absolutely soared compared to its performance in the previous two years of the survey. Kinetic’s 2022 score was 720, about 40 points above its 2020 and 2021 results [5]. Kinetic now ranks third in the South, behind only AT&T and Xfinity. This is great news for customers. It’s possible that some of this meteoric rise might be explained by fiber buildout. In general, fiber and cable providers rank highest in customer satisfaction, DSL follows, and satellite and fixed wireless service bring up the rear. So, it’s not completely surprising that Kinetic by Windstream would rise rapidly in the ratings as more of their customers begin to use fiber instead of DSL.