Sparklight Internet Review: Plans, Pricing, Speed and Availability

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Sparklight home internet service rating

How we calculated our rating

6.9/10

CNET Score

We score internet providers for speed, value and customer care. Our data sources include the FCC, J.D. Power, The American Customer Satisfaction Index and extensive in-house research.

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6.9

/ 10

SCORE

Speed

7/10

Value

7/10

Customer Care

7/10

Pros

• Straightforward pricing with no contracts or cancellation fees
• 30-day money-back guarantee provides an opportunity to try the service
• Brings faster speeds to many communities where DSL and satellite are the only other options

Cons

• Unlimited data available, otherwise a soft cap on all plans
• Monthly price increase on all plans after a year

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Sparklight Internet review

Sparklight has a sprawling footprint across rural communities in the Southwest and Midwest, and depending on your location, Sparklight's speeds and prices will vary by market. Despite the regional differences, you can expect competitive introductory rates, a range of speed options and contract-free service. Some of Sparklight's service terms can get a bit confusing -- including its price increases. Sparklight offers unlimited data on all plans, but there is a soft cap included on all tiers. If you reach a certain threshold, your data will be throttled. We've got you covered on all things Sparklight and everything you should know before signing up. Let's dive in.

Cable One's cable internet service rebranded itself as Sparklight in 2019, so you may be less familiar with it because of the newer name. Still, Sparklight stands out as a strong option for fast rural internet. Let's take a closer look at what to expect.

Sparklight Internet plans

Keep in mind that Sparklight offers regional pricing, with slightly different promo and standard prices. This chart shows rates for the Idaho market, but pricing differs from market to market.

Note that the nonpromotional prices listed in this chart reflect a $5 monthly auto-pay discount, which Sparklight includes only after a soft credit check. If you opt out of auto-pay, your post-promotional rate will be higher.

Sparklight cable internet plans (Idaho market)

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Although Sparklight isn't the most broadly available internet provider, it has significant coverage in rural areas nationwide. It offers a range of competitive plans, making it a solid internet option.

Plans and pricing will vary by market. The chart above reflects the speeds and prices available in Idaho. You can choose between four plans with Sparklight, though select markets will have the option of six plans with Sparklight's multi-gig options. All plans are contract-free. In some markets, your equipment is included in your monthly bill, but you should expect a $14 monthly equipment rental fee with most plans. That fee is optional if you decide to buy your own. If you're using your own equipment, just make sure it's Sparklight-approved or at least is a DOCSIS 3.1 modem. All plans feature a "soft data cap" of 5TB, but more on that later.

Many ISPs increase the monthly rates after a year of service, and Sparklight is no exception. Regardless of your address and the difference in prices, you can expect a price increase after the first year of service. We're not fans of those steep price increases, especially the jump from $40 monthly for 300Mbps to $70 monthly, which comes out to an average cost per Mbps of 23 cents.

Residents in select markets, such as Victoria, Texas, will have access to Sparklight's multi-gig tiers of 3,000Mbps and 6,000Mbps, which will run 4 cents and 3 cents per Mbps, respectively, after the promo period ends.

What kind of connection does Sparklight have?

Sparklight Internet boasts "fiber-rich" plans on its site, but don't be fooled. Like other cable internet providers we've covered, its internet infrastructure is a hybrid fiber-coaxial cable connection, not a 100% fiber network. 

What does this mean in practical terms? Like any cable internet hookup, your download speeds will be much higher than your upload speeds. Before the pandemic, most of us didn't give this much thought, as download speeds cover most of our streaming and surfing needs. But after the pandemic, as more people worked from home, upload speeds gained importance for tasks like uploading large files and joining video meetings or classes. ​That said, OpenVault's Q3 2024 report shows a rising trend in upstream data usage (or upload speeds) among American households. Zoom requires at least 3.8Mbps upload speeds for 1080p HD quality video during Zoom meetings, so finding a cable provider with higher upload speeds is useful for households where multiple people work or do schooling from home. Unlike cable, a fiber internet connection will bring you symmetrical download and upload speeds.

An all-fiber plan is not a pipe dream for this ISP, as Sparklight is expanding its fiber footprint in select areas. According to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission, a handful of cities across 11 states may be eligible for Sparklight's fiber or multi-gig plans. Notably, Sparklight rolled out its 6,000Mbps and 3,000Mbps plans in Victoria, Texas, costing $155 and $105 monthly for the first 12 months. In Payson, Arizona, residents can expect symmetrical speeds of up to 5 gigabits by summer 2025.

Where can you get Sparklight home internet?

Sparklight internet is available in 21 states across the country:

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Among those states, a few of Sparklight's major markets include:

• Austin, Texas
• Boise, Idaho
• Brazil, Indiana
• Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Fargo, North Dakota
• Fort Worth, Texas
• Gulfport, Mississippi
• Nampa, Idaho
• Rio Rancho, New Mexico
• Shreveport, Louisiana
• Springfield, Missouri 

Sparklight fees and service details

Select markets may have access to faster speed tiers, but for many households, Sparklight features four plans ranging from 100Mbps to 1,000Mbps. The top-end plan is priced at $75 monthly, going up to $90 monthly in the second year. For most plans, your monthly bill will increase by $15 to $30 after the promo period ends -- which is a bit of a steep price increase.

When comparing Sparklight internet upload speeds with other cable ISPs, it fares better than most, with its uploads topping out at 50Mbps on the gigabit plan. For context, the upload speeds on similar plans from Spectrum and Optimum all max out at 35Mbps. Only Mediacom and WideOpenWest match Sparklight, with top upload speeds of 50Mbps.

Expect a price increase on your bill after a year

Like many ISPs, Sparklight's promo pricing -- a $15 to $30 discount, lasts for just 12 months, which isn't out of the ordinary. Many of Sparklight's cable competitors provide discounted rates for two or even three years.

When you look at the post-promotional rate's average cost per Mbps (25 cents across all four plans), Sparklight's service is much more expensive than Optimum and Spectrum's average cost per Mbps of 13 cents after promotional prices. While Sparklight may be a good option initially, after your promotional period ends you should consider shopping around for other well-priced cable internet options.

About that data cap...

In an effort to promote transparency across major ISPs, the FCC is mandating the use of broadband "nutrition" labels. Unfortunately, one of the first things I noticed is that, even with the use of a "Broadband Facts" label, Sparklight fails to mention its data cap. It's only in the fine print that you'll see that each plan comes with a soft cap of 5TB.

Data caps are not a necessary evil. Many ISPs have them, including Hughesnet, Viasat and cable competitors Cox, Mediacom and Xfinity, but some others do not. It's not a given that you'll have to face a data cap just because you're a cable internet customer. 

Not all data caps are the same. As you can see in the plans and pricing chart, all plans feature a 5TB data cap, which isn't bad. Why do I say that? According to OpenVault's Q3 2024 report, the average home uses approximately 590GB of data per month. Most US households should have little problem staying under that 5TB limit.

Oh, and I should mention there's some small print here, too: You could still have your speed slowed... but only after you've hit 5TB of data usage within the month. To put that in perspective, you could stream 4K versions of all five Indiana Jones movies, watch the Lord of the Rings trilogy, binge all the Harry Potter flicks, download every Marvel Cinematic Universe entry and geek out on each Star Trek film (from William Shatner to Chris Pine) and still be less than 25% of the way to your limit. I'd say that's pretty fair.

No contracts

The soft data caps aren't a deal-breaker, but it's a bit of a bummer that Sparklight has them at all. Still, on the positive side, Sparklight breaks from some of its rivals by offering plans with no contracts or term limits. This means you're under no obligation to stick with a plan that isn't working for you, and you don't have to fear any early termination fees if you decide to move elsewhere.

Another positive aspect that leaps off the page (and isn't always common among ISPs) is Sparklight's money-back guarantee for those looking to bundle their internet, which covers the first 30 days of the new service. If Sparklight isn't right for your home, you can request a full refund, including money paid for the internet service and applicable taxes and fees. That's better than the 30-day guarantee offered by WOW, which doesn't extend to taxes and fees. 

Additional fees

A modem and Eero Wi-Fi device bundle is available from Sparklight for $14 a month, a relatively high cost compared to the optional equipment rental from Spectrum ($10 monthly) but on par with Xfinity's monthly equipment rental. Also, as with many other providers, customers can use their own equipment and avoid this monthly charge altogether. The only requirement is that customers use a DOCSIS 3.1 cable modem and refer to Sparklight's list of supported cable modems.

Customers can add additional Eero Wi-Fi devices for $10 extra a month to extend Wi-Fi coverage throughout the home.

You should also expect a slew of one-time fees that can jack up your bill in the first month of service. Customers can expect a one-time installation fee of $90, a one-time activation charge of $30 and a $25 equipment deposit fee. Sparklight may waive those fees during some promotional periods but there's no guarantee.

Self-installation may be an option from Sparklight, but it's not available in all service areas and depends upon a credit check. You may bypass the credit check if you wish, but Sparklight notes you may be charged a higher deposit and/or installation fee for skipping it.

Sparklight customer satisfaction: Mixed ratings

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Sparklight was not highlighted in the J.D. Power U.S. Residential Internet Service Provider Satisfaction Study for 2024. If you look back at the 2021 residential study, Sparklight showed up in two of the four regions the organization tracks. Over in the West, Sparklight scored 700 on a 1,000-point scale. That's a drop from the 730 it earned in 2020 and below the regional average of 710.

On the flip side, Sparklight did better in the South region, earning a 716 score, which increased from the preceding year. It was still below the South's average score of 727 and squarely in the middle of the pack among 11 ISPs in the area. 

The most recent ISP report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index did not highlight Sparklight for an individual score among other organizations, but Sparklight appeared among Ookla's stats for the first half of 2024, where it was the fastest provider in Boise, Idaho. (Disclosure: Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

What's the bottom line on Sparklight?

Sparklight makes a compelling case for being included as one of the top cable internet providers in the country. Fiber will almost always trump cable connections, so if you live in an area like Fort Worth, Texas, you might be able to find fiber plans more to your liking. For customers in Ada, Oklahoma, to use a smaller market as an example, you'll find Sparklight competing with DSL and satellite plans. Those are simply no match for what Sparklight can offer for speed and price.

Sparklight home internet FAQs