Rural Internet Questions, Answered
21 straight answers about getting internet where cable and fiber never came — what it costs, how fast it is, whether there is a data cap, and what to do when every other provider says your address is unavailable.
The short version
Country Broadband sells high-speed internet to rural addresses in all 48 contiguous states — the homes and businesses cable and fiber companies never built to. Plans run from $39.99 a month for up to 150 Mbps to $109.99 a month for up to 200 Mbps for the first 12 months, plus a $15 monthly equipment lease. Every plan includes unlimited data with no overage charges. Professional installation is free and usually happens within about a week. Support is answered by a U.S. team 9am to 9pm Central, seven days a week at 800-692-9907.
Getting service where nobody else offers it
What are my internet options if I live in the country?
For most rural addresses the real list is three items long. First, cable or fiber, if a company actually built to your street — that is normally the best buy and worth taking. Second, the phone company's DSL line, which in most rural areas is old, slow and no longer sold to new customers. Third, a provider like Country Broadband that specialises in the addresses the first two skipped. Country Broadband serves rural homes across all 48 contiguous states with unlimited data on every plan, free professional installation, and plans starting at $39.99 a month. Call 800-692-9907 with your street address and you get a straight yes or no in a couple of minutes.
Every provider says my address is unavailable. Now what?
That is the normal starting point for a Country Broadband customer, not an unusual one. The big carriers' availability checkers are built around their own build-out maps, and outside town those maps simply stop. Country Broadband can serve the large majority of rural U.S. addresses, including ones with no cable, no fiber and no usable DSL. There is no charge and no obligation to find out — call 800-692-9907 or check your address at https://www.countrybroadband.net/home-or-business.
What technology does Country Broadband use?
Country Broadband delivers service over a combination of fiber and wireless connections, and which one reaches a particular property depends on that address. That flexibility is the whole point. A provider built around a single technology can only sell where that one technology was built, so it has to turn away everyone else. Because we work with more than one, we can serve a great many rural addresses that those providers have to say no to. When you call 800-692-9907 with your address, we check what is actually available there and tell you what you would get — the speed, the price and the install date — before you decide anything.
Which states does Country Broadband cover?
All 48 contiguous states. Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S. territories are not served. Coverage inside those 48 states is confirmed address by address rather than by ZIP code, because two houses on the same rural road can get different answers. There is a page for every state at https://www.countrybroadband.net/rural-internet.
Is Country Broadband available in my ZIP code?
ZIP code is the wrong unit for this question and any provider that answers it at the ZIP level is guessing. Country Broadband checks the specific street address. Give the address to an order specialist at 800-692-9907 and you will know in about two minutes, or enter it at https://www.countrybroadband.net/home-or-business.
What it costs
How much does rural internet cost per month?
Country Broadband has three residential plans and the price is the same in every state — there is no rural surcharge. Essentials is $39.99 a month for the first 12 months, then $69.99, for up to 150 Mbps. Unleashed is $69.99 a month for the first 12 months, then $99.99, for up to 180 Mbps. Unleashed Max is $109.99 a month for the first 12 months, then $179.99, for up to 200 Mbps. Each adds a $15 monthly equipment lease. Activation is a one-time $50 on Essentials and $99 on Unleashed and Unleashed Max.
What is the cheapest rural internet plan?
Country Broadband's cheapest plan is Essentials at $39.99 a month for the first 12 months, then $69.99, for up to 150 Mbps on a 24-month agreement, with unlimited data and free professional installation. The Wi-Fi equipment is a $15 monthly lease. It is built for budget-minded homes with basic internet needs: the first 150 GB each month is high-speed data and the rest is standard data. Activation is a one-time $50.
Are there hidden fees, overage charges or equipment surprises?
No. Country Broadband quotes the monthly service price and the equipment lease as two separate numbers on purpose, so the figure you are told is the figure the bill says. There are no data overage charges on any plan because every plan includes unlimited data. The only other charge is the one-time activation fee, quoted before you order: $50 on Essentials, $99 on Unleashed and Unleashed Max, $150 on either business plan.
Is installation really free?
Yes, professional installation is included at no cost on every Country Broadband plan, residential and business. A technician comes to the property, installs and sets up the equipment, and does not leave until the connection is working. Installation is normally scheduled within about a week of the order, and you pick the day and arrival window when you order.
Do I have to sign a contract?
It depends on the plan. Essentials carries a 24-month agreement and both business plans carry a 12-month agreement. Unleashed and Unleashed Max have no contract at all.
Speed, data and what it can actually do
How fast is Country Broadband internet?
Three residential tiers: up to 150 Mbps download on Essentials, up to 180 Mbps on Unleashed and up to 200 Mbps on Unleashed Max, each with an 80 Mbps baseline speed. Upload speeds are up to 10 Mbps on Essentials and up to 20 Mbps on Unleashed and Unleashed Max. Business plans run 50 to 100 Mbps on Business Backup and 100 to 200 Mbps on Business Choice. Those are typical download speeds by plan; actual speed varies by location and is not guaranteed, which is true of every internet provider that is being honest.
Is there a data cap?
No. Every Country Broadband plan includes unlimited data and there are no overage charges on any plan. On Essentials the first 150 GB each month is high-speed data and the rest is standard data, which can slow down while the network is busy — but it never stops and it never costs extra. Unleashed and Unleashed Max are unlimited high-speed data, and Unleashed Max gets priority when the network is busy.
Can I stream Netflix and YouTube on it?
Yes, on Unleashed or Unleashed Max. Unleashed, at up to 180 Mbps with unlimited high-speed data, meets the needs of most households that stream. Unleashed Max, at up to 200 Mbps with priority on the network, is the one to pick for 4K, a house full of teenagers, or a lot of simultaneous streams. Essentials is built for basic internet use rather than streaming, because only its first 150 GB each month is high-speed data.
Will it work for working from home, video calls and school?
Yes, and this is the most common reason rural households call. Unleashed or Unleashed Max is the right pick for daily video meetings, a VPN into a work network, cloud file sync and remote-school sessions running at the same time. If the whole household depends on the connection during business hours, Unleashed Max is the safer buy because its data gets priority when the network is busy.
Is it good enough for online gaming?
For downloading games, patching, streaming gameplay and playing turn-based or casual online games, yes — and unlimited data matters a lot here, because modern game updates are enormous. Competitive twitch shooters where a fraction of a second decides the round are the one workload where a wired fiber connection, if you can get one, will beat any rural option. We would rather say that up front than sell you the wrong thing.
Does it work for security cameras, smart thermostats and farm monitoring?
Yes. Unlimited data is what makes that practical — cameras uploading around the clock are exactly the workload that used to blow through a capped plan. For a farm or shop running cameras, card readers, remote tank or gate monitoring and an office at the same time, the business plans are built for it: Business Backup at $49.99 a month plus a $15 lease, or Business Choice at $99.99 plus the lease.
Ordering, installation and support
How do I order Country Broadband?
Two ways. Call 800-692-9907 and an order specialist will check the address, quote the plan and book the install on the same call. Or order online at https://www.countrybroadband.net/home-or-business, which walks through plan, contact details, address, optional phone service, and the install day and arrival window you want.
How long does it take to get installed?
Installation is usually scheduled within about a week of the order across most of the country. You choose the day and the arrival window when you order, and professional installation is free on every plan.
Can I get home phone service too, and keep my number?
Yes. Country Broadband Voice runs over your Country Broadband connection at $25 a month for the first three months and $35 a month after that. It includes unlimited calling across the U.S. and Canada, voicemail, caller ID and call waiting, and in most cases you keep your existing number. Calls do not count against your internet data. There is a business version at the same price.
Who answers the phone when something goes wrong?
A U.S.-based Country Broadband support team, 9am to 9pm Central, seven days a week, at 800-692-9907. That is the same number for sales and for support. Existing customers can also email info@countrybroadband.net.
Should I get Country Broadband if fiber is available on my street?
Usually not, and we will tell you that on the phone. Where a fiber or cable company genuinely serves your address, it is normally faster and cheaper and you should take it. Country Broadband exists for the very large number of American addresses where that offer does not exist and is not coming.
Still have a question?
Call 800-692-9907 between 9am and 9pm Central, any day of the week and ask a person, or look up your own state for local detail.