Internet Providers in Boston, Massachusetts

Boston has a fair number of internet providers (11, technically, though that number includes wireless providers); however, most residents will find themselves deciding between just a couple of options.

One option is sure to be Xfinity, which is Boston’s dominant cable provider. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the North End, South Boston, Back Bay, or anywhere else in town (or anywhere in Brookline or Cambridge, for that matter) — you’re going to have Xfinity as one of your options. Xfinity covers 99.7% of Boston, which is just about everything other than some parkland and industrial sites.

What will change depending on where you live within Boston is which providers you’ll be able to compare to Xfinity. The most important ones to look out for are Verizon Fios (68.4% availability) and EarthLink’s fiber internet plans (56.0% availability).

So, where can you get fiber internet in general (and our top pick, Verizon Fios, in particular)? Let’s start out on the city line, near Boston College. North of BC, in Brighton, Verizon Fios is widely available. That trend continues all the way into Allston — as long as you’re to the north of Commonwealth Avenue. South of Comm Ave is a different story: Coverage dries up after a few blocks. Verizon Fios’s availability seems to strictly follow the border with Brookline (which, as many Bostonians know, is technically not a part of Boston). You won’t find Verizon Fios in Coolidge Corner, we’re afraid.

Back in the parts of town that are technically, actually, truly Boston, Verizon Fios is once again widely available; the company serves just about every address in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, Upham’s Corner, and down in Dorchester.

Verizon Fios is pretty widely available along the eastern side of the Brookline border, too. They’re missing a few spots near Boston Children’s Hospital and Northeastern University, but for the most part they do a great job of covering Mission Hill and Back Bay. Availability is great in the South End; however, it gets a little spotty in the Chinatown area before regaining great coverage in the North End.

Verizon Fios serves South Boston, too — from the heart of Southie up into the up-and-coming Seaport area. Charlestown and East Boston are also covered very well.

It’s worth noting that Verizon Fios’s tendency to follow the city limits is not just a Brookline thing. Somerville and Cambridge residents will find themselves largely cut off from Verizon Fios, too. How do you like them apples?