Consolidated Communications Review: Plans, Prices and Availability

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How we calculated our rating

Pros

• Fiber coverage in 13 states
• No data caps or contracts
• Equipment included with most plans

Cons

• Speeds and pricing vary by state
• Slow, expensive DSL service
• Limited fiber plan selection in some areas

Like many telecom providers, Consolidated Communications has two sides: DSL and fiber internet. Technically, there are three sides as this internet service provider offers separate fiber services, Consolidated Communications and Fidium Fiber, depending on the state.

Your experience with Consolidated Communications will depend on where you live and the available service type at your address. Access to Consolidated Communications fiber service versus Fidium Fiber varies by state. DSL speeds and pricing are fairly standard across most markets, but select states, Iowa being one, may have lower pricing.

While service can vary from state to state, my recommendation for Consolidated Communications is the same as every other fiber and DSL provider: prioritize fiber internet and treat DSL as a last resort. Here’s a closer look at what to expect from the provider.

Consolidated Communications internet plans

Consolidated Communications fiber

Fidium Fiber plans

Consolidated Communications DSL plans

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Fidium Fiber’s speeds and pricing are comparable to or better than most fiber providers, but I’m less impressed with Consolidated Communications fiber plans. If you are in a state with Fidium Fiber -- California, Illinois, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas or Vermont -- you will have lower pricing and a better speed selection than Consolidated Communications fiber.

Fidium Fiber offers four plans in most locations, including a low-cost 100Mbps plan and a high-speed 2Gbps plan. Introductory rates are competitive and the price is only set to increase by $15 or $20 after the first year. On the other hand, Consolidated Communications has just two plans, both of which have a $30 price hike after 12 months.

The cheapest Consolidated Communications fiber plan, Advanced, is more expensive than Fidium Fiber’s Gig plan, even though it offers only a quarter of the max speeds. The Premium plan advertises up to 1Gbps at a decent monthly rate of $70 but jumps to $100 after the first year, the same rate as Fidium Fiber’s 2Gbps plan.

DSL offers nowhere near the same value

Fidium Fiber is a better deal than Consolidation Communications fiber, but both services are a significant upgrade to DSL. With speeds of 10, 20, 25 and 50Mbps, the provider’s DSL plans fall short of what’s considered broadband (at least 100Mbps down and 20Mbps up). Despite the slow speeds, starting prices are relatively high. Each DSL plan has a cost per Mbps above $1.

Consolidated Communications fees and service terms

Regardless of the available connection type or fiber service available at your address, fees and service terms from Consolidation Communications largely favor the customer. Taxes and miscellaneous fees will add to your bill like any other ISP, but customers won’t have much to worry about otherwise.

No contracts, data caps or equipment fees (mostly)

Consolidation Communications plans, both DSL and fiber including Fidium Fiber, include unlimited data and require no contract. 

Equipment is also included at no additional cost, save for Fidium Fiber’s two cheapest plans. Renting equipment with 100 or 300Mbps plans will add $10 to your monthly bill, while the 1 and 2Gbps plans include equipment rental.

Free equipment rental with all plans would be ideal, but it’s worth noting that the $10 fee is lower than many ISPs. Cox, Xfinity, CenturyLink, Brightspeed and others have a higher monthly rental fee. Additionally, Fidium Fiber customers can skip the fee altogether by using their own compatible equipment. 

Consolidated Communications availability

Consolidated Communications is available in 20 states coast to coast, but the greatest concentration of availability is in the Northeast. Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont have the best coverage of DSL internet and fiber-optic service by Fidium Fiber. Coverage extends into New York, particularly to the southeast of Albany and northwest of Chautauqua Lake along the Pennsylvania border, but fiber service in New York is by Consolidated Communications, not Fidium Fiber.

Illinois, Minnesota and Texas also have decent-sized pockets of availability. Serviceability in others, including Colorado, California, Georgia and Iowa, is limited to a select few markets. Consolidated Communications is still available in parts of Washington state, but the ISP recently sold most of its copper and fiber networks to Lightcurve.

Comparing Consolidated Communications

As a DSL provider, Consolidated Communications is one of the few to offer multiple plans to choose from. Many DSL providers, including AT&T, CenturyLink and Frontier, charge a single rate for whatever speeds are available. However, plan selection is the only thing that really stands out, as Consolidated Communications DSL pricing is high, considering the speeds you get.

Fiber service is a much better value. But again, the level of value will depend on which service is available in your area: Consolidated Communications or Fidium Fiber. Considering the speeds for the price, Consolidated Communications fiber internet is less of a deal than you’d get from other major fiber ISPs. Fidium Fiber, on the other hand, is comparable to many fiber ISPs and may offer faster speeds and lower pricing than some.

It’s unlikely you’ll have the choice of Consolidated Communications DSL or fiber services in addition to another DSL or fiber provider, however. 

In the case of DSL, your only internet alternatives may be fixed wireless or satellite internet. Fixed wireless, from ISPs such as T-Mobile Home Internet, may deliver faster speeds for a lower monthly price. Satellite internet may offer faster speeds but at a higher price with higher latency and restricting data limits, unless you opt for Starlink.

Areas with fiber internet availability also typically have a cable internet provider or two available. More often than not, I would recommend fiber over cable, but there are instances where a cable ISP, such as Xfinity or Spectrum, may be the better choice over Consolidated Communications. 

Cable may prove to be the cheaper option, for example, as Consolidated Communications charges $60 a month ($90 after a year) for speeds up to 250Mbps while Spectrum and Xfinity have lower introductory and standard rates for faster speeds, up to 300Mbps.

Consolidated Communications Customer Satisfaction

The main sources we at CNET use to evaluate ISP customer satisfaction, the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, do not identify Consolidated Communications specifically in their reports. So, instead, I turned to the Better Business Bureau and Reddit to better understand what actual customers think about their service.

Consolidated Communications has an “F” rating and a customer review score of 1.09 out of 5. That’s not good, but it’s not completely unreasonable. Frontier, another DSL and fiber provider, has an even lower review score of 1.05, though it did receive an “A” rating. CenturyLink has a 1.02 and is not rated at all by the BBB.

Most of the complaints filed (168 in the last 12 months) involve service outages or billing issues. Additionally, some complaints mention difficulties reaching customer service to address their issues. 

Reddit posts paint a similar picture regarding service outages. In addition to complaints of prolonged outages in various regions, some users reported problems with trying to self-install their equipment. 

Ultimately, Consolidated Communications doesn’t appear to have the best record regarding customer satisfaction, but the telecommunications industry is known for low customer satisfaction. While the experiences of others are certainly something to consider, I would recommend evaluating Consolidated Communications or Fidium Fiber plans and pricing first, then forming your own opinion of the service if and when you choose to sign up. 

Recap of Consolidated Communications

Like any ISP that offers DSL and fiber internet, the speeds, pricing and overall value of Consolidated Communications will depend on the available service type at your address. If fiber is available, it may be the faster option and a better deal than cable, particularly if you can get Fidium Fiber. DSL service, however, should only be considered as a last resort before settling on satellite internet.

Consolidated Communications FAQs