Best Internet Providers in Medford, Oregon

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 90% city coverage (per the latest Federal Communications Commission data), a starting price of $30 per month and gigabit speed options, Spectrum’s internet plans have plenty to offer.

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 $0.08, 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 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. Plus, some internet providers, like Hunter Communications, participate in Oregon’s Lifeline Program, which offers discounts up to $19 for eligible households.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Grant Wylie/iStock via Getty Images

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.

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. (Ookla is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.

Internet providers in Medford FAQs