Rise Broadband is an affordable service in rural areas but has some customer service issues
7 min readCompared to other rural internet options, Rise Broadband is a viable and flexible provider (albeit with inconsistent customer service).
“One of the positives about Rise Broadband was their availability in remote areas where other providers didn’t offer service,” says Max Shak, CEO of Nerdigital.com and former Rise Broadband customer.
Next to non-rural internet … Rise isn’t very good. But it's a more cost-effective option than satellite internet, which many rural netizens depend on. So, if you live on the awkward cusp between urban and exurban locations and have traditional internet available, Rise isn’t for you. But if all your choices are rural, it may be your best solution.
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Look for Rise Broadband and other internet providers near you.
Rise Fiber
Rise Broadband offers a fiber service, Rise Fiber. It’s very different from the fixed wireless service and not widely available. You can find more about it in the Digging Deeper section.
Rise Broadband plans and pricing
Rise Broadband’s speeds are fairly slow, with no plans reaching above 200Mbps. That’s enough for casual internet use but likely insufficient for heavy-duty gaming or streaming.
But Rise offers something you don’t always see with fixed wireless services: options. Most fixed wireless providers have just one speed. With Rise, you can choose from three different speeds, all with unlimited data—a must-have with speeds this slow.
Rise Broadband's monthly prices are similar to those of other fixed wireless internet providers, but installation and equipment rental fees raise the cost. You pay $7 a month if you choose a standard router, but a mesh system costs $15 to $25 each month (depending on the square footage covered).
Rise Broadband fees for modem and installation
Installation fee
$149.00
Equipment rental fee
$7.00–$25.00/mo.
Data as of 08/22/2024.
What makes this review legit?
Our fact-based research process centers on interviews with internet customers across the country, helping us understand how internet services hold up against diverse needs and challenges.
To put together this review, I spoke with two Rise Broadband customers (and would have spoken with more if they were willing), spent countless hours reading pages on the Rise Broadband website, and even called Rise customer service.
Our breakdown of Rise Broadband features
For all our internet reviews, we give a rating based on three main criteria—speed and reliability, dollar value, and customer experience—which we then average to make an overall score.
Want to know how Rise Broadband stacks up? See our full take below.
Overall score: 3.1/5
Speed and reliability
2.25/5.0
Fixed wireless is about what it sounds like: Wireless internet emanating from a fixed point (a nearby antennae). Because of its non-physical nature, fixed wireless internet is often slow and unsteady—although not always. For example, T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, for example, is surprisingly fast and consistent. Unfortunately, Rise Broadband is no T-Mobile 5G.
Reviews.org doesn’t possess proprietary speed data for Rise Broadband (so if you use the service, please take our speed test). However, as already mentioned, Rise's advertised speeds could be zippier. They're fast enough for basic internet needs but fall short for serious gamers, streamers, and surfers.
This speed issue came up in conversations with Rise customers. Max Shak, who used Rise Broadband for a year in rural northern Colorado, says, "For basic browsing and light streaming, the service was usually adequate." That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement of the speed.
Shak also says his connection was prone to fluctuations and outages. This brings us to my next point: Like its speeds, Rise Broadband's reliability is on the struggle bus.
Reddit user Ziginox's mother lives near Rigby, Idaho, and has had problems since Rise acquired her previous provider, Microserv. "Since the acquisition that eventually led to Rise Broadband, my mother has found the reliability of their service very unsatisfactory," says Ziginox. "She has issues with it going hard down quite often, usually for a few short periods almost daily." Not a great internet situation for an older woman in a rural area.
Again, this isn't uncommon for a rural internet service, but it's not the best look for one, either.
Rise Broadband is finally broadband
Broadband internet has a download speed of at least 100Mbps, as specified by the FCC. After previously reaching only speeds of 50Mbps, Rise is now earning its name by offering speeds of up to 200Mbps.
Dollar value
3.6/5.0
Rise Broadband is affordable and offers a unique value proposition through its flexibility and unlimited data plans. However, its plans often cost the same as (or more than) faster plans from its competitors.
Rise offers customers three plans with various speed and data limits. You can shave off a few dollars if you'd like a slower speed —an option not every fixed wireless provider supplies.
And with Rise's unlimited data, you can work, stream, and game to your heart's content, even if you must do it at a snail's pace.
But none of this offsets the fact that, while Rise doesn't charge much, it also doesn't offer much by way of speed. With the cheapest Rise plan, you pay over a dollar per Mbps—unusually lofty even for fixed wireless internet. (And don't forget the one-time $149 installation fee and the monthly equipment rental costs.) In the end, the cost-benefit analysis for Rise may not make sense. Depending on your internet needs, you might be better off paying for a more expensive and less flexible but faster service.
Customer experience
3.5/5.0
Rise Broadband isn’t a mover and shaker on the internet scene, so it’s not included in major customer service surveys. What I heard from customers themselves was mixed.
Shak had a great experience with Rise customer service. “The installation process was relatively smooth, and the customer service reps were friendly during setup,” he says.
But Ziginox’s mother keeps encountering the opposite. “Their support has generally been unhelpful,” says Ziginox. “Back when [Rise] was still Microserv, support was much better. The only time their reps have been helpful is changing the MAC address binding when we swapped a router out. They were able to get that changed pretty quickly.”
In other words, things with Rise Broadband customer service can go either way.
How long it took to get a real human on the phone: I called the Rise customer service line and couldn’t reach anyone without a phone number already connected to a Rise Broadband account.
How the chat service is: Nonexistent—I found no chat on Rise Broadband’s website.
Overall quality
3.1/5.0
Rise Broadband has almost as many ups and downs as my favorite roller coaster. It includes multiple plan options, but all of them are slow. It offers unlimited data but can be expensive. Its customer service might be friendly and helpful one day but may border on incompetence the next.
In the end, Rise Broadband is what it is: A smallish, rural internet service geared towards folks who have few choices. Using that lens, Rise not only looks 100% better, but it may even be the best option in many cases.
Rise Broadband add-ons and perks
Asurion Home+ warranty covering all your home tech for $25 a month
Add the warranty to your preexisting account on Rise Broadband’s website.
Rise Support Care Service Plan for $9.99 a month
Add the support plan to your preexisting account on Rise Broadband’s website.
What do customers think of Rise Broadband?
Customers have both praise and criticism for Rise Broadband—although there tends to be more criticism than praise.
“Their promise of reliable high-speed internet in less densely populated regions was what initially caught my attention,” says Max Shak, a former Rise customer in northern Colorado who switched providers after a year. He found this promise to be only partly true. “Rise Broadband is a decent option for rural areas, but the service can be inconsistent and might not meet the needs of more demanding internet users.”
”Rise Broadband is a decent option for rural areas.”—Max Shak
Shak turned out to be one of those more demanding users. “While I appreciated their efforts to provide service in underserved areas, the performance wasn’t up to par for the demands of my work,” he explains.
He says he switched to Viasat mainly due to “the inconsistent speeds and the occasional outages, which made it difficult to maintain the level of productivity I needed.” While Shak’s Viasat satellite internet service isn’t perfect, he prefers it to Rise.
Reddit user Ziginox’s mother had a similar experience with Rise Broadband in Idaho. She found the service “lacking” and temperamental in almost every way.
“The worst was when they offered her a speed upgrade but did not make it clear that it would affect her monthly rate,” says Ziginox. The change meant her rate “went up by a significant amount at this time,” leaving Ziginox and their mother frustrated and upset.
“Generally, the service has been lacking, both in the actual connection and in the customer experience.” —Reddit user Ziginox
Need to contact Rise Broadband customer service or tech support?
You can go through these avenues:
- Call 844-816-9149 for customer care.
- Call 877-910-6207 for technical support.
- Email support@risebroadband.com for both/either.
Does Rise have fiber internet?
Rise has a fiber internet service called Rise Fiber. It's available to limited customers in parts of Illinois and Texas.
Fiber internet delivers signals through a physical connection made by fiber-optic cable, transferring data through light signals. That’s in contrast to fixed wireless internet, which is delivered by an antennae. That makes Rise Fiber much faster and more reliable than regular Rise Broadband.
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No contract required. Not available in all areas. Price sbjct to change. Terms apply.
Like the fixed wireless plans, all fiber plans include unlimited data. And the fiber plans aren’t much more expensive than Rise Broadband.
In some cases, even though it provides faster speeds, Rise Fiber is actually cheaper than Rise Broadband. (At least in the beginning. Based on your plan and location, Rise Fiber may come with automatic price hikes after a certain service period.) Just make sure to include the fiber service fees when comparing price tags. The fiber installation is usually $75, and equipment rental is up to $65 a month(!), depending on the deal you sign for.
If Rise Fiber is available to you, we recommend it over Rise Broadband—the speeds and prices make it a much better deal, and fiber is far more dependable than fixed wireless. That’s a win-win-win. However, Rise Fiber is scarce, and the likelihood of your living in a service area is low. But you can know for sure with our ZIP finder.
See if you live in Rise Fiber’s service area.
Rise Broadband vs. the competition
Rise compares fairly well to other fixed wireless providers. Its pricing is similar, although it does run a little slow. Rise’s main benefit is offering a flexibility not all fixed wireless services provide— it provides several different speed options to meet different needs.
Non-fixed wireless competition leaves Rise in the dust, but that’s no surprise. Most folks eligible for Rise don’t have access to bigger internet brands, anyway. But just in case, I’ll give it to you straight: In the choice between Rise and a non-rural service, the non-rural service is usually a better deal. End of speech.
Compare internet providers and prices
Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change. Data verified as of the article's publication date.
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w/ Auto Pay. Regulatory fees included in monthly price for qualified accounts. See full terms.
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Price per month with Auto Pay & without select 5G mobile plans. Fios plan prices include taxes & fees
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Plus taxes and fees. Upload/download speed and device streaming claims are based on maximum wired speeds. Actual Internet speeds are not guaranteed and may vary based on factors such as hardware and software limitations, latency, packet loss, etc.
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Price after $5/mo Autopay & Paperless bill discount (w/in 2 bills). Plus taxes $ fees. Limited availability. May not be available in your area.
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Limited time offer; subject to change; valid to qualified residential customers who have not subscribed to any services within the previous 30 days and who have no outstanding obligation to Charter.
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Plus hardware, shipping & handling fees, and tax. Fully refundable. Depending on location, some orders may take 6 months or more to fulfill.
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