Best Internet Providers in Bakersfield, California [CNET]

As a Bakersfield resident, you have a few options for broadband internet. We’ve outlined them so you can choose the one that’s best for you.

Internet in Bakersfield is a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, 97% of residents have access to a plan with at least 100Mbps download and 20Mbps upload speeds — the Federal Communications Commission’s proposed minimum for broadband — and it’s one of the top 50 cities in the country by median speed. 

But most Bakersfield residents still don’t have much of a choice when it comes to high-speed internet. While AT&T Fiber is now available to around one in five households, Spectrum is the only option in many neighborhoods. Wireless providers like T-Mobile and Verizon also offer home internet plans now, but their speeds tend to fluctuate more than wired connections.

On the bright side, the Bakersfield City Council recently approved a deal with SiFi Networks to build and maintain a fiber network along every street in the city at no cost to taxpayers. SiFi would then sell network access to private internet providers. According to a presentation given to the Board of Supervisors, residents would pay about $60 each month for 10,000Mbps. For comparison, AT&T currently charges $180 for 5,000Mbps. The project is currently in the design phase, with no clear timetable yet for construction.

Best internet options in Bakersfield

CNET examines customer service, speed, pricing and overall value before recommending the best broadband in your area. For a long time, Spectrum was essentially the only option for high-speed internet in Bakersfield. Then, in 2015, AT&T agreed to expand its fiber-optic network to 20 new metro areas within four years as a part of its deal to buy DirecTV. In 2017, AT&T Fiber officially launched in Bakersfield, immediately becoming the city’s best internet option. The only catch? It’s currently only available to 21% of Bakersfield households.

Note: The prices, speeds and features detailed in the article text may differ from those listed in the product detail cards, which represent providers’ national offerings. Your particular internet service options — including prices and speeds — depend on your address and may differ from those detailed here.

Top Bakersfield internet providers

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-$250	300-5,000Mbps	None	None	None	7.4
AT&T Internet Read full review	DSL	$55	768Kbps-100Mbps	None	1.5TB (no data cap for 100Mbps plan)	None	7.4
Spectrum Read full review	Cable	$50-$80	300-1,000Mbps	$7	None	None	7.2
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review	Fixed wireless	$60 ($40 with eligible mobile plans)	72-245Mbps	None	None	None	7.4
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review	Fixed wireless	$50-$70 ($35-$45 with eligible phone plan)	50-1,000Mbps	None	None	None	7.2

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What other internet options are there in Bakersfield?

We think the three providers highlighted above are your best options for internet in Bakersfield, but there are a few other ISPs you can consider:

• Applied Technology Group: For residents in rural areas around Bakersfield, Applied Technology Group offers fixed wireless internet plans with speeds up to 35Mbps. If the choice is between Applied and satellite internet, we’d probably go with Applied. But in every other situation, there’s probably a better option. 
• unWired Broadband: This is another fixed wireless provider in the area, with plans starting at $54 monthly. It’s targeted towards people living in rural areas; when we asked them for a quote for an address in the city, they actually recommended we look into Spectrum or AT&T instead. If you can’t get anything else, unWired may be worth a look.
• Satellite internet: Companies like Hughesnet and Viasat offer internet service at virtually every address in the country, but it’s only your best option if it’s your only option. Satellite internet comes with slow speeds, low data caps and high prices. One exception is Starlink, which provides significantly faster speeds but costs $120 a month with a $599 equipment fee upfront.
• Verizon 5G Home Internet: Like T-Mobile, Verizon’s home internet service offers wireless internet throughout Bakersfield. It has two plans: $50 a month for download speeds up to 300Mbps or $70 for speeds up to 1,000Mbps. Both plans get a decent discount when bundled with qualifying Verizon 5G mobile plans.

Pricing details on Bakersfield home internet service

Bakersfield residents can expect to pay between $50 and $90 a month for internet service, which is about average for cities across the country. That said, there is a lack of truly cheap internet plans in the city, with starting prices around $50 monthly.

Cheapest internet plans in Bakersfield

Provider	Starting price	Max download speed	Monthly equipment fee	Contract
Spectrum Read full review	$50	300Mbps	$7	None
Verizon 5G Home Internet Read full review	$50 ($35 with eligible mobile plans)	300Mbps	None	None
AT&T Fiber Read full review	$55	300Mbps	None	None
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review	$60 ($40 with eligible mobile plans)	245Mbps	None	None

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Fastest internet plans in Bakersfield

There are only two providers offering gig speeds — download speeds reaching 1,000Mbps — but they are both good options. AT&T’s fiber plans go all the way up to 5,000Mbps, which is far more than most people need, but it’s a nice option for ultra-connected smart homes. While Spectrum’s download speeds reach 940Mbps, households that do a lot of working from home or gaming might run into issues with its 35Mbps upload speeds. 

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Bakersfield

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. What’s our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov. 

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 answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who 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, although 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.

What’s the final word on internet providers in Bakersfield?

Bakersfield residents aren’t exactly swimming in great options for internet, but 97% of residents have access to at least one provider offering 100/20Mbps speeds — the new minimum broadband speed proposed by the FCC. While AT&T Fiber is by far the best choice in the city, only about one in five residents currently have access to it. However, Spectrum and T-Mobile are both good backup options.

Bakersfield internet FAQs