Cable Internet Providers in the US

How many cable companies are there in the US?

There are 450 cable internet service providers in the United States as of 2020. The largest provider in terms of coverage area is XFINITY from Comcast with availability in 40 states and an availability footprint covering 111,564,376 people.

Pros and Cons of Cable Internet

Pros

• Wide coverage
• Relatively low cost
• Low latency (lag)
• Low-priced TV and/or phone bundling options

Cons

• Limited providers in a given area
• Limited rural availability
• Slower speeds at peak hours

What is cable internet?

Cable internet makes use of pre-existing cable television infrastructure to deliver high-speed internet to consumers, which is faster than DSL in most areas. Unlike satellite internet, cable is not affected by outages caused by storms. While cable cannot perform as fast as fiber-optic internet, cable providers offer much wider coverage than fiber at this time.

You can find out more about the technology powering cable internet providers in our Cable Broadband technical guide.

Top 5 Cable Providers in the USA by Coverage Availability

Cable internet providers include some of the top telecom companies in the United States, as measured by size. Cable is one of the most common choices for internet service in suburban and urban areas since it combines relatively fast speeds with competitive, low pricing.

The top five most available cable internet providers listed by coverage in the US are XFINITY from Comcast, Spectrum®, Cox Communications, Optimum by Altice, and Mediacom Cable.

Cable Internet Provider
Speed Range
Price Range (internet-only)

XFINITY
15 – 2000 Mbps
$49.95-299.95/month

Spectrum
60 – 940 Mbps
$49.99-109.99/month

Cox Communications
10 – 940 Mbps
$19.99-99.99/month

Optimum
200 – 1000 Mbps
$24.99-69.99/month

Mediacom
60 – 1000 Mbps
$39.99-79.99/month

If you are trying to compare multiple cable internet providers in the same city, be sure to consider factors such as promotions, data caps, download/upload speeds, contract terms, and local consumer reviews.

XFINITY from Comcast and Spectrum® have widespread coverage while Cox Communications, Optimum by Altice, and Mediacom have coverage in dense pockets where they’re available. If you’re considering bundling, whether now or later down the line, each of these providers offer double and triple play plans. Cable providers often offer discounts on each service when bundled together. Perks like no data caps and an extended promotional period are also offered for bundle package.

Cable Companies In Your Area

You can check for which of these providers is in your area using the Zip Code provider search tool at the top of the page.

While there are hundreds of cable providers registered with the FCC, most customers will only have access to one provider. Why? Keep in mind cable internet service is delivered by cable TV companies. The coaxial cable lines they use for internet and TV are privately owned. In most cases, only one cable provider will be connected to any given house.