Best Internet Providers in Presque Isle, Maine

What is the best internet provider in Presque Isle, Maine?

Located at the northern end of Maine, just a couple hundred miles from Canada, Presque Isle is known for its long winters and quiet, scenic views. Less well-known are some of the internet service providers available to the city. Based on quick speeds, wide availability and solid reliability, Spectrum is CNET's pick for the best internet provider in Presque Isle. That said, though Spectrum offers a competitive introductory price of $50 monthly, its prices usually increase by $30 after one to two years. T-Mobile Home Internet is a great alternative to Spectrum. It's a fixed wireless provider with plans starting at $50 -- a price that won't jump up after a year or two.

The fastest internet speeds available in Presque Isle come from both Pioneer Broadband and Spectrum, both topping out at 1,000 megabits per second.Since Pioneer Broadband is a fiber-optic internet provider, it boasts symmetrical download and upload speeds. However, since Spectrum relies on cable and only has max upload speeds of 40Mbps for its 1,000Mbps plan, Pioneer Broadband is the fastest internet service provider in Presque Isle, Maine. If your address falls within Pioneer Broadband's availability, we recommend considering a fiber-optic internet connection.

Best internet in Presque Isle, Maine

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Denis Tangney Jr./iStock via Getty Images

How to find internet deals and promotions in Presque Isle

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

Presque Isle internet providers, like Spectrum and T-Mobile, may offer lower introductory pricing or streaming add-ons for a limited time. Others, however, including Pioneer Wireless and Aroostook Technologies, 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 videoconferencing, 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 videoconferencing.
• 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 videoconferencing, 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 Presque Isle

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it's impractical to personally test every internet service provider in a given city. So what's our approach? For starters, we tap into a proprietary database of pricing, availability and speed information 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 Presque Isle FAQs