2008 Internet Service Provider (ISP) Residential Customer Satisfaction Study

Internet access–particularly high-speed Internet access–has become one of the basic, must-have utilities of modern life. It’s not a luxury in today’s information-driven, connected multimedia world and many consumers have choices. The J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Internet Service Provider (ISP) Residential Customer Satisfaction Study^SM asked customers like you to tell us which Internet Service providers (ISPs) delivered the most satisfaction to go along with their Web connections.

We measured customer satisfaction with high-speed and dial-up Internet service providers based on five factors: performance and reliability; cost of service; offerings and promotions; billing; and customer service. One finding that stood out was the increasing willingness of customers to consider switching if they could find another service that offered cost savings.

The study found a trend away from more expensive cable modem to more affordable DSL service even though it typically is a slower connection. DSL customers tend to be more satisfied than cable modem customers, particularly with the cost of service. Today, the percentage of Internet customers who subscribe to DSL service has increased to 30 percent in 2008 from 28 percent in 2007. Cable modem penetration among Internet customers has decreased by 2 percentage points in 2008 to 41 percent from 43 percent in 2007.

There has also been a strong move among high-speed Internet customers to bundle their Internet service with one or more telecommunications services, a decision that also reduces cost. In 2008, 71 percent report bundling their Internet service, compared with 52 percent in 2007.

Here are the rankings, based on nearly 19,000 actual customer opinions:

Dial-Up Internet Service Segment Rankings

EarthLink ranks highest in the dial-up segment with an index score of 633 on a 1,000-point scale, performing particularly well in customer service, billing, and performance and reliability

United Online (630) came in a close second

MSN (602) earned the third Dial-up ranking

High-Speed Internet Service Segment Rankings

East Region:

Cablevision ranks highest with a score of 650, performing particularly well in offerings and promotions and performance and reliability

EarthLink follows in the rankings with 643

Embarq ranks third with 634

South Region:

Road Runner (delivered by Bright House Networks) earns a score of 670, performing well in cost of service, customer service and billing

Verizon ranks second (663)

Insight (661) follows in third place in the region

North Central Region:

WOW! performs particularly well in all five factors driving satisfaction and ranks highest with 702

Cincinnati Bell follows with 665

Cox ranks third with 663

West Region:

Cox Communications earns the top ranking with 641, performing particularly well in performance and reliability and billing

EarthLink (630) ranks second

Verizon (625) follows in third

For more information, view dial-up Internet service provider ratings and high-speed Internet service provider ratings, or read the press release.