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Rise Broadband Internet Review

An often overlooked wireless alternative for rural areas

Rise Broadband

Price: $25.00–$65.00/mo.*
Speeds: 25–50 Mbps
Data cap: 250 GB–Unlimited
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Provider star ratings are based on user reviews and our independent customer satisfaction survey.

Our Rise Broadband internet review

Rise Broadband brings affordable broadband internet to many underserved areas in the US. Although not as well-known as other nationwide providers, Rise Broadband has a large coverage area that serves many rural and less populated areas.

 Pros

  • Unlimited data options
  • Low-cost options
  • No long-term contracts

 Cons

  • Low max speeds
  • Hidden fees
  • Line-of-sight signal requirement

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Compare Rise Broadband internet plans and pricing

PackagePrice*SpeedData CapView on Rise Broadband’s site
Internet 25 Mbps$35.00/mo.25 Mbps250 GBShop Plans
Internet 50 Mbps$39.95/mo.50 Mbps250 GBShop Plans
Internet 25 Mbps Unlimited$55.00/mo.25 MbpsUnlimitedShop Plans
Internet 50 Mbps Unlimited$65.00/mo.50 MbpsUnlimitedShop Plans

Rise Broadband’s speeds: What’s best for you?

Rise Broadband has 25 Mbps and 50 Mbps options, both of which are fast enough for most common online tasks, even streaming video. Of course, if there are multiple people in your household using the internet at the same time, there’s not a lot of wiggle room for splitting up the bandwidth. Larger households generally need a lot more speed, even if each person sticks to basic online activities.

Rise Broadband’s data caps

Rise Broadband offers plans with both data caps and unlimited data. The 250 GB limit is definitely more data than you can get with a satellite plan, but it can still go by faster than you might think. If you stream video using services like Netflix, use video chat apps, or have to transfer large files due to work or school, the extra cost for unlimited data is probably worth it.

Is Rise Broadband internet available where you live?

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Our favorite plan: Although the Internet 50 Mbps Unlimited plan is a considerable jump in price from the data-limited plans, Rise Broadband is one of the few fixed wireless internet providers that offers unlimited data options. This gives rural customers the ability to take advantage of online entertainment without paying for additional data every month.

Rise Broadband provides internet coverage to a huge area of the rural United States. Although wired internet like cable, fiber, and DSL is usually a better option where available, wireless providers like Rise Broadband can be a welcome alternative to satellite in areas without digital infrastructure.

While some satellite plans can achieve higher speeds than those offered by Rise Broadband, they also have the drawbacks of higher costs and latency—along with lower data caps. Satellite plans with similar speeds can cost around twice as much and have only a fraction of the monthly data. All satellite plans also have higher latency than terrestrial wireless networks, which makes them poorly suited for online games, video chat, and other real-time applications. Rise Broadband is a better option than satellite in almost every situation.

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Rise Broadband internet fees

Cost
Equipment Fee$11.99/mo.
Installation Fee$150.00
Carrier Recovery Fee$6.99/mo.
Data overage charge$7.50 per 10GB
Late payment feeUp to $20.00 per month delinquent
Unreturned equipment fee
  • Antenna: $300.00 or cost of equipment, whichever is greater.
  • Router: $50.00
  • VoIP adapter: $70.00

Since Rise Broadband requires installing an antenna on your house, it does have a higher installation cost than many other types of internet—more similar to satellite fees than cable or DSL. Its monthly equipment costs are pretty reasonable, but it does charge a sneaky “carrier recovery fee” that bumps up your monthly cost. Also, make sure to return everything if you decide to cancel to avoid some hefty fees.

Rise Broadband internet installation, equipment, and contracts

Rise Broadband has relatively high upfront costs and requires professional installation to install your antenna. Fortunately, once you get past the initial setup, it’s smooth sailing. With its low equipment fees and no long-term contracts, Rise Broadband comes out ahead of satellite providers yet again.

Rise Broadband internet contracts

Rise Broadband no longer requires long-term contracts, and we think that’s great.

How Rise Broadband compares to the competition

ProviderPlan price rangeSpeeds (range)User rating*Order online
Rise Broadband$25.00–$65.00/mo.25–50Mbps3.6/5View Rise Broadband Plans
Viasat$59.99–$299.99/mo.*25–150Mbps3.1/5
HughesNet$49.99–$149.99/mo.§15-50Mbps3.1/5

Compared to satellite providers, Rise Broadband is generally cheaper, has higher data caps, offers better unlimited data options, has lower latency, and doesn’t require long-term contracts. Some providers like Viasat and Starlink offer plans with higher speeds, but at a much higher monthly cost. Unless you think slightly higher speeds are worth the extra cost and all the other disadvantages of satellite, Rise Broadband is a much better option.

Is Rise Broadband internet right for you?

Rise Broadband is an excellent choice for people in rural areas where satellite internet is the only other option. It might even be a viable alternative to some DSL plans, but generally can’t compete with wired connections, especially when compared to cable or fiber.

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Methodology

Our HighSpeedInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on customer input from our annual customer satisfaction survey, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. To strengthen our research, we look closely at provider contracts to get hard-to-find information on price hikes, data caps, and extra fees, and we keep tabs on the latest news reports and online reviews. When applicable, we also rely on our personal experiences testing these services.

FAQ about Rise Broadband

What are the best routers for Rise Broadband internet?

A wireless router is included in your monthly equipment fee, so there’s not a financial advantage to using your own. Rise Broadband also allows customers to rent additional mesh routers in order to maintain a strong Wi-Fi signal throughout your home.

Can I stream movies over Rise Broadband?

Yes. Rise Broadband provides enough speed to stream video, even 4K. Netflix and other streaming services require around 25 Mbps for 4K video, which you can get with any Rise Broadband plan. Streaming video uses large amounts of data, so we’d suggest an unlimited data plan if you’re a frequent Netflix user.