Pricing: 2 ¼ Stars
Unfortunately, our efforts to contact each ISP about their "just for Internet" and "after promotional rate" pricing ended with disappointment. Most websites insist that you input a valid address to determine if they can even provide you with service before revealing what you'll pay, and direct calls/emails to non-sales representatives yielded few results.
However, after much digging (and providing the address of a friend who was in a serviceable region), I found a page buried in AT&T's website detailing the different tiers and individual pricing for all of its Internet plans. Not all of these plans are available everywhere AT&T Internet service is offered. Below are AT&T's complete DSL Internet service offerings, with unbundled pricing and terms:
| AT&T DSL Plans | Speed | Promotional Rate Term | Minimum Contract Term | Stand-Alone Price | Price to Performance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Express Internet | Up to 1.5 Mb/s | 12 Months | 12 Months | $25/month | $16.66 per Mb/s |
| Pro Internet | Up to 3 Mb/s | 12 Months | 12 Months | $30/month | $10 per Mb/s |
| Elite Internet | Up to 6 Mb/s | 12 Months | 12 Months | $35/month | $5.83 per Mb/s |
| Max Internet | Up to 12 Mb/s | 12 Months | 12 Months | $40/month | $3.33 per Mb/s |
| Max Plus Internet | Up to 18 Mb/s | 12 Months | 12 Months | $45/month | $2.50 per Mb/s |
| Max Turbo Internet | Up to 24 Mb/s | 12 Months | 12 Months | $55/month | $2.29 per Mb/s |
| Power 45 Internet | Up to 45 Mb/s | 12 Months | 12 Months | $65/month | $1.44 per Mb/s |
Our readers were quick to point out their disappointment in the price-to-performance ratio of AT&T's DSL Internet service, with our survey results showing AT&T with a mediocre 2 ¼ (2.32, actual average) stars on a scale of five stars for pricing, and only 2 ½ stars (2.54) for performance. With only a few dollars separating each plan's modest bandwidth, a standalone bid for monthly Internet service doesn't seem like a great offering.
