Best Internet Providers in Bakersfield, California – CNET

July 18, 2023

Best Internet Providers in Bakersfield, California - CNET

AT&T Fiber – Best overall internet provider in Bakersfield

• Prices: $55 – $180 per month
• Speeds: 300 – 5,000Mbps
• Unlimited data

Or call to order: (855) 378-6731

Spectrum – Best high-speed internet availability in Bakersfield

• Prices: $50 – $90 per month
• Speeds: 300 – 940Mbps
• Unlimited data

Or call to order: (877) 361-6179

T-Mobile Home Internet – Best alternative to wired home internet service in Bakersfield

• Prices: $50 per month
• Speeds: 72 – 245Mbps
• Unlimited data

Or call to order: (855) 378-4182

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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 FCC’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.

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AT&T Fiber

Best overall internet provider in Bakersfield

Or call to order: (855) 378-6731

Product details

Price range $55 – $180 per month Speed range 300 – 5,000Mbps Connection Fiber Highlights Unlimited data, no contracts, equipment included

AT&T Fiber isn’t just the best internet provider in Bakersfield — it has a good argument for the best internet provider in the entire country. Unfortunately, it’s only available to a quarter of Bakersfield residents. It uses a 100% fiber-optic network, meaning you’ll get the same download and upload speeds (ideal for gamers and remote workers) and you won’t have to worry about network congestion slowing your connection down. If you can get AT&T Fiber at your address, it’s a no-brainer.

That said, most of Bakersfield is serviced by AT&T’s slower DSL service, called AT&T High Speed Internet. If this is the only AT&T service you can get, we recommend going with Spectrum or T-Mobile. 

Availability: AT&T Fiber is currently available to 21% of households, with service clustered around downtown and the Old River and Westdale North neighborhoods.

Plans and pricing: There are three AT&T Fiber plans available in Bakersfield: $55 per month for 300Mbps, $65 for 500Mbps and 940Mbps for $80. Some residents may also have access to AT&T’s ultrafast 2,000Mbps and 5,000Mbps plans for $110 and $180 a month respectively.

Fees and service details: The price of equipment is included with AT&T Fiber, and there are no contracts or data caps.

Read our AT&T Internet review.

Or call to order: (855) 378-6731

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Spectrum

Best high-speed internet availability in Bakersfield

Or call to order: (877) 361-6179

Product details

Price range $50 – $90 per month Speed range 300 – 940Mbps Connection Cable Highlights Unlimited data, simple pricing, no contracts, modem included, free access to nationwide Wi-Fi hotspots

For Bakersfield residents who don’t have access to AT&T Fiber, Spectrum is a decent runner-up. It runs on a cable network, which means slower upload speeds and more congestion issues than fiber, and prices increase by $30 in the second year. But for most people, Spectrum’s plans offer plenty of speed, and it’s available almost everywhere in the city. 

Availability: Spectrum is available to 94% of households in Bakersfield.

Plans and pricing: There are three Spectrum internet plans available in Bakersfield. You can get 300Mbps download and 10Mbps upload for $50 a month, 500/20Mbps for $70 and 940/35Mbps for $90. 

Fees and service details: You’ll have to pay an extra $5 a month if you rent a router through Spectrum, but there are no data caps or contract requirements.

Read our Spectrum Internet review.

Or call to order: (877) 361-6179

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T-Mobile Home Internet

Best alternative to wired home internet service in Bakersfield

Or call to order: (855) 378-4182

Product details

Price range $50 per month ($30 for eligible T-Mobile Magenta Max customers) Speed range 72 – 245Mbps Connection Fixed wireless Highlights Unlimited data, equipment included, no contracts, no additional fees

T-Mobile Home Internet uses its 5G cellular network to transmit internet to your home wirelessly. That means it’s widely available in Bakersfield, but your speeds will vary depending on your proximity to a tower, and you’re more likely to experience network congestion than with fiber or cable. Fortunately, T-Mobile lets you try the service out for 15 days, so you can see how it performs before paying.

Availability: T-Mobile Home Internet is currently available to 72% of Bakersfield residents. 

Plans and pricing: There’s only one plan available with T-Mobile. For $50 each month, you’ll get 72 to 245Mbps download speed and 15 to 31Mbps upload. That’s a pretty wide range, but if you’re near the top end, T-Mobile provides a great value. 

Fees and service details: There are no added fees, contracts or data caps with T-Mobile Home Internet, and all the equipment you need is included in the base price.

Read our T-Mobile Home Internet review.

Or call to order: (855) 378-4182

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 50% discount when bundled with a 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. Low-income households in Bakersfield can take advantage of the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program, which provides a discount of up to $30 a month on home internet, or $75 for households on Tribal lands.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

Source: CNET analysis of provider data

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. 

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.

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 ISP in a given city. So what’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites 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 the time 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 answer to those questions is often layered and complex, the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. Within those recommendations, we also look for the cheapest and fastest ISPs from that region. To explore our process in more depth, visit our How we test ISPs page.

Bakersfield internet FAQs

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