Mediacom Low-Income Internet Guide

Mediacom, a cable provider in the Midwest and Southeast parts of the United States, is one of the few internet providers that offers a low-cost internet program to new customers. Qualifying households can pay as little as $14.99 per month for up to 100Mbps download speeds and 20Mbps upload speeds.

Generally, 100Mbps is the rule of thumb for the download speeds you need for simultaneous streaming, gaming, and internet browsing.

In the wake of the Affordable Connectivity Program, Xtream Connect or other low-cost internet programs exist to help customers stay connected.

Mediacom’s Xtream Connect plan lets you skip some expenses that can often come as a surprise:

• No deposit
• No contract or early termination fees
• No data caps or overage fees
• No installation fees

Here are the fees that do come with Mediacom’s Xtream Connect:

• One-time activation fee ($20)
• Modem rental fee ($15/mo.)

That means that with the activation fee and modem rental fee, most customers pay $50 for their first month and around $30 per month afterwards.

But take heart! There are ways to lower this initial amount even more.

For example, the monthly modem rental fee is optional. You’re not required to rent Mediacom’s modem for Wi-Fi. You can use your own modem and waive the monthly modem rental fee. Getting your own modem may feel like a lot more money upfront, but you save in the long run. Check out our guide on how to choose a modem.

Free modem for NSLP participants: Rent Mediacom’s modem completely for free if your household has at least one child that qualifies for free or reduced-price school lunch through the government-funded program called National School Lunch Program (NSLP). That’s $15 back in your pocket every month.

To qualify for Xtream Connect, a member of your household needs to participate in one of these programs:

• SNAP
• Medicaid
• WIC
• SSI
• FPHA, HCV, Section 8 Vouchers, PBRA, Public Housing, Affordable Housing Programs for American Indians, Alaska Natives, or Native Hawaiians
• Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit
• NSLP or School Breakfast Program
• Federal Pell Grant recipients
• Tribal Assistance Programs

There are two other criteria you must meet to qualify for Xtream Connect:

1. Mediacom Xtream Internet services must be available in your area.
2. You cannot have an outstanding Mediacom balance.

If you can snag the $14.99 per month price on internet, wow, what a deal.

A note on Mediacom’s unlimited data: It only applies to download data. Upload data has a soft cap at 1TB, after which it may slow down to half speed. But don't worry about accidentally using too much unless you're planning on sending 40,000 emails or posting 1,000 hours' worth of videos on YouTube.

No downstream usage limits means that download speeds won’t be slowed down. However, upload speeds could be reduced to 10Mbps based on your data usage. According to Mediacom’s fine print, if data usage exceeds 1TB in one month, upload speed may be reduced by no more than 50% for the remainder of the billing month.

If you don’t qualify for Mediacom’s Xtream Connect, don’t worry! While its low-cost internet plan is a great option, the rest of its plans offer robust benefits.

Mediacom’s introductory internet prices are its biggest selling point (mostly because you should expect pretty heavy price hikes one year and then two years after signing up for service). Learn more about what you get in our honest Mediacom review.

According to the average price of internet, people pay $47.89 per month on cable internet. So Mediacom lives up to the average cost with its cable internet plans between $50 and $65 per month.

If you compare its plans to Xfinity (another big cable internet provider), you see that Xfinity has a 400Mbps plan for $30 per month, and its 1,100Mbps plan is $60 per month. So Xfinity wins out a little more with lower prices, but not by much.

However, if Mediacom’s internet plans still seem too high, look for cheaper options in your area using the zip check below. Seeing your options (for free with our tool) could lead to a much more affordable option … or even fiber internet (which is the best kind of internet).

And you should be ready with alternative options when Mediacom’s prices jump up after a year or two…

It’s easy to apply to Xtream Connect:

1. Go to the Xtream Connect page on Mediacom’s site.
2. Enter your information in SheerID, Mediacom’s verification partner.
3. Once you’ve been verified as eligible, you have the green light to call Mediacom and chat with reps to connect you to Xtream Connect.

Your service bills in advance each month and renews automatically until you cancel (which you can do at any time, no early termination fees).

Even if you can’t get a low-income plan from Mediacom, there are ways to still get a great deal on high-speed internet for an affordable price.

By enabling autopay and paperless billing, you also save an extra $10 per month on your internet bill. And it helps you avoid any late payment fees.

Is your promo pricing about to end? Or did it already end and your bill jumped up a lot?

It’s time to call Mediacom’s customer service, ask for a manager, and try to persuade them to extend the promo pricing or offer you a new promo price so you remain a customer. This is a situation where you definitely want to use our zip check tool to see what other options are available to you and use that as leverage before you call:

“I see other more affordable options in my area, and unless Mediacom can extend my promo pricing, I’d like to cancel…”

Good luck!

As noted above, Mediacom comes with a lot of extra fees. At the very least, when you are first setting up your internet service, respectfully ask your sales agent to waive the installation and activation fee. That’s an extra $100 in your pocket!

Unless Mediacom is your only option, you should consider other providers. Curious who else provides internet in your area? Drop in your zip code below to see local results along with real customer reviews at the bottom of the page.