Best Internet Providers in Clarksville, Tennessee
Our Experts
What is the best internet provider in Clarksville, Tennessee?
CDE Lightband is the best internet service provider in Clarksville. The city of Clarksville owns it and brings a fiber-optic connection to every home in the city. That’s as good as the internet gets anywhere in the country, and its prices are great for the speeds you get.
If you want to pay the lowest prices possible, Spectrum is the cheapest internet provider in Clarksville, with plans starting at just $30 monthly. Its rates increase significantly after a year or two, but you’re not tied to a contract with Spectrum, so you can cancel before the price increases.
We think CDE Lightband is a slightly better option, but AT&T Fiber offers the fastest internet speeds in Clarksville, topping out at 5,000Mbps. Almost no one needs that much bandwidth, but AT&T does offer a $20 monthly discount when you bundle internet with a cellphone plan.
Our methodology
CNET considers speeds, pricing, customer service and overall value to recommend the best internet service in Clarksville across several categories. Our evaluation includes referencing a proprietary database built over years of reviewing internet services. We validate that against provider information by spot-checking local addresses for service availability. We also do a close read of providers' terms and conditions and, when needed, will call ISPs to verify the details.
Despite our efforts to find the most recent and accurate information, our process has some limitations you should know about. Pricing and speed data are variable: Certain addresses may qualify for different service tiers, and monthly costs may vary, even within a city. The best way to identify your particular options is to plug your address into a provider's website.
Also, the prices, speed and other information listed above and in the provider cards below may differ from what we found in our research. The cards display the full range of a provider's pricing and speed across the US, according to our database of plan information provided directly by ISPs, while the text is specific to what's available in Clarksville. The prices referenced within this article's text come from our research and include applicable discounts for setting up automatic payments each month -- a standard industry offering. Other discounts and promotions might also be available for things like signing a term contract or bundling with multiple services.
To learn more about how we review internet providers, visit our full methodology page.
Best internet in Clarksville, Tennessee
CDE Lightband
Best internet provider in Clarksville, TN
Our take - CDE Lightband is the best internet provider in the city and is available to every home in the city. The Clarksville Department of Electricity owns it, and its fiber-optic network goes everywhere in the city limits. Spectrum offers cheaper plans, and AT&T Fiber reaches faster speeds, but CDE Lightband is the better deal for most people. “There is literally no competition,” said one Reddit user. “Anyone who has lived here will tell you they are the best option.”
Spectrum
Cheapest internet in Clarksville, TN
Our take - If you want to pay the lowest prices possible, Spectrum’s plans start at just $30 monthly in Clarksville. That said, prices increase by $30 to $55 monthly in the second or third year, depending on your chosen plan. And unlike CDE and AT&T Fiber, Spectrum uses a cable connection, which means much slower upload speeds than download -- a potential issue for remote workers or online gamers.
AT&T Fiber
Fastest internet in Clarksville, TN
Our take - Like CDE Lightband, AT&T Fiber offers fiber internet throughout Clarksville. AT&T’s plans are a few dollars more per month than CDE’s, but it’s an extremely close call. (If you have an AT&T cellphone plan, you can save $20 monthly by bundling with AT&T Fiber.) CDE’s plans top out at 2,500Mbps, while AT&T Fiber’s go up to 5,000Mbps. You almost certainly don’t need that much speed, but AT&T Fiber is technically the faster provider.
Clarksville internet providers compared
| Provider | Internet technology | Monthly price range | Speed range | Monthly equipment costs | Data cap | Contract | CNET review score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AT&T Fiber Read full review | Fiber | $55-$225 | 300-5,000Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
|
AT&T Internet Read full review | DSL | $55 | Up to 140Mbps | None | 1.5TB on some plans | None | 7.4 |
| CDE Lightband | Fiber | $52-$122 | 300-2,500Mbps | None | None | None | N/A |
|
Spectrum Read full review | Cable | $30-$60 | 100-1,000Mbps | $7 (optional) | None | None | 7.2 |
|
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $60 ($40-$50 with mobile plans) | 72-245Mbps | None | None | None | 7.4 |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | Fixed wireless | $50-$70 ($35-$45 for eligible Verizon Wireless customers) | 100-300Mbps | None | None | None | 7.2 |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s the cheapest internet plan in Clarksville?
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Monthly equipment fee |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Spectrum Internet 100 Read full review | $30 | 100Mbps | $5 (optional) |
|
Spectrum Internet Read full review | $40 | 300Mbps | $5 (optional) |
|
Spectrum Internet Ultra Read full review | $50 | 500Mbps | $5 (optional) |
|
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review | $50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans) | 100Mbps | None |
| CDE Lightband | $52 | 300Mbps | None |
|
AT&T Fiber Read full review | $55 | 300Mbps | None |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
How to find internet deals and promotions in Clarksville
The best internet deals and top promotions in Clarksville depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.
Clarksville internet providers, such as Spectrum and AT&T Fiber, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, including CDE Lightband, run the same standard pricing year-round.
For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.
Fastest internet plans in Clarksville
| Provider | Starting price | Max download speed | Max upload speed | Data cap | Connection type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
AT&T Internet 5000 Read full review | $225 | 5,000Mbps | 5,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| CDE Lightband 2.5 Gigabits | $122 | 2,500Mbps | 2,500Mbps | None | Fiber |
|
AT&T Internet 2000 Read full review | $125 | 2,000Mbps | 2,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
|
AT&T Internet 1000 Read full review | $80 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
| CDE Lightband 1 Gigabit | $93 | 1,000Mbps | 1,000Mbps | None | Fiber |
|
Spectrum Internet Gig Read full review | $60 | 1,000Mbps | 35Mbps | None | Cable |
Source: CNET analysis of provider data.
What’s a good internet speed?
Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the FCC. Note that these are only guidelines -- and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.
For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.
- 0 to 5Mbps allows you to tackle the basics -- browsing the internet, sending and receiving email, streaming low-quality video.
- 5 to 40Mbps gives you higher-quality video streaming and videoconferencing.
- 40 to 100Mbps should give one user sufficient bandwidth to satisfy the demands of modern telecommuting, video streaming and online gaming.
- 100 to 500Mbps allows one to two users to simultaneously engage in high-bandwidth activities like videoconferencing, streaming and online gaming.
- 500 to 1,000Mbps allows three or more users to engage in high-bandwidth activities at the same time.
How CNET chose the best internet providers in Clarksville
Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.
But it doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.
Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:
- Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
- Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
- Are customers happy with their service?
While the answers to those questions are often layered and complex, the providers that come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, though we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.
To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.
Internet providers in Clarksville FAQs
What is the best internet service provider in Clarksville?
CDE Lightband is the best internet service provider in Clarksville, offering fiber connections to every home in the city for reasonable prices and customer-friendly terms.
Is fiber internet available in Clarksville?
Yes, fiber internet is available to 100% of Clarksville households, according to FCC data. CDE Lightband and AT&T Fiber both offer fiber service in the city.
What is the cheapest internet provider in Clarksville?
Spectrum is the cheapest internet provider in Clarksville, offering plans that start at just $30 per month. That noted, Spectrum increases prices significantly on all plans after one or two years.
Which internet provider in Clarksville offers the fastest plan?
AT&T Fiber offers the fastest internet plan in Clarksville, with upload and download speeds up to 5,000Mbps.
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