Best Internet Providers in Medford, Oregon [CNET]

Residents of Medford, also known as the Pear Blossom City, can turn to Spectrum for solid speeds and Hunter Communications for even faster fiber tiers.

What is the best internet provider in Medford, Oregon?

Medford, nicknamed the Pear Blossom City, is a popular destination for retirees and tourists alike. Whether you’ve lived in the city for decades or are new to this Southern Oregon city, CNET has compiled a list of the best internet providers in the area. 

CNET’s pick for the best internet service provider in Medford is Spectrum Internet, based on its broad availability, competitive introductory pricing and reliable speeds. With an availability range of 90% in the city (according to the latest data from the Federal Communications Commission), a starting rate of $50 per month and the option to get gigabit speeds, there’s a lot to like about Spectrum’s internet plans. 

The fastest internet speed in Medford is 2,500 megabits per second, thanks to local provider Hunter Communications and its fiber-optic internet. As the fastest ISP in the city and boasting an average cost per Mbps of eight cents, Hunter Communications could have easily taken the crown from Spectrum Internet as the best provider in the city. However, Hunter Communications is only available to around 29% of the city, according to the FCC. If your address is available for fiber from Hunter Communications or Quantum Fiber, we recommend fiber over cable for its guaranteed symmetrical download and upload speeds.

If you’re looking for cheap internet plans in Medford, most plans start at $50 a month but there are some ways to lower that price. First, if you opt for home internet from T-Mobile, you can trim down your monthly bill by bundling internet with an eligible phone plan. Some internet providers, like Hunter Communications, participate in Oregon’s Lifeline Program, which offers discounts up to $19 for eligible households. Spectrum offers its own low-income plan with Spectrum Internet Assist, allowing households to up to 50Mbps for as low as $25 monthly.

Medford internet providers compared

Provider	Internet technology	Monthly price range	Speed range	Monthly equipment costs	Data cap	Contract	CNET review score
CenturyLink Read full review	DSL	$55	30-140Mbps	None	None	None	6.7
Hunter Communications	Fiber	$60-$120	500-2,5000Mbps	None	None	None	N/A
Spectrum Read full review	Cable	$50-$80	300-1,000Mbps	$7 (optional)	None	None	7.2
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review	Fixed wireless	$50-$70	72-245Mbps	None	None	None	7.4
US Cellular	Fixed wireless	$50	45-195Mbps	None	600GB of priority data	None	N/A
Quantum Fiber	Fiber	$50-$75	500-940Mbps	None	None	None	7.3

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s the cheapest internet plan in Medford?

Provider	Starting price	Max download speed	Monthly equipment fee
Spectrum Internet Read full review	$50	300Mbps	$7 (optional)
T-Mobile Home Internet Read full review	$50 ($40 with eligible phone plans)	245Mbps	None
US Cellular	$50	195Mbps	None
Quantum Fiber	$50	500Mbps	None
CenturyLink Read full review	$55	140Mbps	None
Hunter Communications	$60	500Mbps	None

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Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Medford

The best internet deals and top promotions in Medford depend on what discounts are available during a given time. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Medford internet providers, like Spectrum and T-Mobile, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, like Hunter Communications, 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 Medford

Plan	Starting price	Max download speed	Max upload speed	Data cap	Connection type
Hunter Communications 2.5 Gigs	$120	2,500Mbps	2,500Mbps	None	Fiber
Spectrum Internet Gig Read full review	$80	1,000Mbps	35Mbps	None	Cable
Hunter Communications 1 Gig	$80	1,000Mbps	1,000Mbps	None	Fiber
Quantum Fiber 1 Gig	$75	940Mbps	940Mbps	None	Fiber

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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 video conferencing, 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 video conferencing.
• 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 video conferencing, 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 Medford.

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? For starters, we tap into a proprietary pricing, availability and speed database that draws from our own historical ISP data, partner data 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: 

1. Does the provider offer access to reasonably fast internet speeds?
2. Do customers get decent value for what they’re paying?
3. 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 Medford FAQs