Source
Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse were rated highest and Charter lowest among telecom providers by readers of Consumer Reports magazine.
The February issue of Consumer Reports provided the ratings based on 42,939 respondents with a home Internet account, 42,494 with TV service, and 30,164 with phone service.
Verizon was No. 1 overall with an average score of 78 for the three services - 78 for Internet (tied for second), 78 for TV (first) and 79 for phone (tied for first).
Verizon serves several Madison area communities -- including Sun Prairie, Oregon and McFarland -- but it has no timeframe for offering FiOS here.
AT&T was just one point behind Verizon at 77 overall -- 78 for Internet (tied for second), 76 for TV (third), and 77 for phone (tied for fifth).
Charter, the dominant subscription TV provider in the Madison area, was last among the 10 major providers rated at 62 -- 59 for Internet (23rd of 25 providers), 58 for TV (tied for 15th of 16 providers), and 69 for phone (18th of 19 providers).
The rating was another hit for struggling Charter, which is fighting to stave off bankruptcy in the face of more than $21 billion in debt and last year scored the lowest among 114 companies across a dozen industries in an annual customer experience survey of more than 4,500 consumers by Forrester Research.
In recommending Verizon and AT&T, the magazine said:
"The superior scores of these fiber-optic providers make them worth serious consideration for all services if you can receive them. That's despite Verizon FiOS having more complaints than most with billing and fees. [We lacked sufficient data to rate AT&T U-verse on such support.] In particular, the high capacity of their fiber networks helped them score higher on TV picture, sound and channel selection than the cable companies. Fiber does require a contractual commitment of at least a year. It also requires the most elaborate installation: the mounting of a backpack-sized box, usually on the exterior of your home. Both providers include a battery pack with a claimed 8 hours of running time for use in power outages."
Verizon's FiOS services are delivered over fiber optic lines that are laid all the way to a home. AT&T U-verse services are delivered over the company's existing fiber and copper network, although the company is laying all fiber in new developments.
Rebuilding to all fiber in existing areas is more expensive than using the existing fiber and copper network, but does provide more bandwidth.
Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-verse were rated highest and Charter lowest among telecom providers by readers of Consumer Reports magazine.
The February issue of Consumer Reports provided the ratings based on 42,939 respondents with a home Internet account, 42,494 with TV service, and 30,164 with phone service.
Verizon was No. 1 overall with an average score of 78 for the three services - 78 for Internet (tied for second), 78 for TV (first) and 79 for phone (tied for first).
Verizon serves several Madison area communities -- including Sun Prairie, Oregon and McFarland -- but it has no timeframe for offering FiOS here.
AT&T was just one point behind Verizon at 77 overall -- 78 for Internet (tied for second), 76 for TV (third), and 77 for phone (tied for fifth).
Charter, the dominant subscription TV provider in the Madison area, was last among the 10 major providers rated at 62 -- 59 for Internet (23rd of 25 providers), 58 for TV (tied for 15th of 16 providers), and 69 for phone (18th of 19 providers).
The rating was another hit for struggling Charter, which is fighting to stave off bankruptcy in the face of more than $21 billion in debt and last year scored the lowest among 114 companies across a dozen industries in an annual customer experience survey of more than 4,500 consumers by Forrester Research.
In recommending Verizon and AT&T, the magazine said:
"The superior scores of these fiber-optic providers make them worth serious consideration for all services if you can receive them. That's despite Verizon FiOS having more complaints than most with billing and fees. [We lacked sufficient data to rate AT&T U-verse on such support.] In particular, the high capacity of their fiber networks helped them score higher on TV picture, sound and channel selection than the cable companies. Fiber does require a contractual commitment of at least a year. It also requires the most elaborate installation: the mounting of a backpack-sized box, usually on the exterior of your home. Both providers include a battery pack with a claimed 8 hours of running time for use in power outages."
Verizon's FiOS services are delivered over fiber optic lines that are laid all the way to a home. AT&T U-verse services are delivered over the company's existing fiber and copper network, although the company is laying all fiber in new developments.
Rebuilding to all fiber in existing areas is more expensive than using the existing fiber and copper network, but does provide more bandwidth.
