Switching blog
The switching blog
Longer answers to the questions that come up when a US household leaves satellite, DSL or 5G home internet.
Also here: Provider news →
- 5G home internet not available at your address? Why, and what's left
Why 5G home internet is sold one address at a time, what you can and can't change about a no, and how to check every other option yourself.
- Alternatives to HughesNet and Viasat: what else can reach a rural address
Starting from a HughesNet or Viasat contract: which options to check first at your address, what each needs, and what leaving costs before you pick.
- AT&T copper line down for weeks? What to do while you wait
The calls and letters that put a dead copper line on record, ways to get online this week, and how to move on without losing your phone number.
- Before you leave 5G home internet: check the signal and try an outdoor antenna
A weak signal can be fixed at your house. A crowded tower can't. Three evenings of notes tell you which one you have before you spend money or switch.
- Billed after you cancelled your internet: how to stop it and get the money back
How to tell a legitimate final bill from a wrong one, the proof to gather, and the order to escalate in: provider, card company, regulators.
- Can you keep your email address when you change internet providers? AT&T, Frontier, CenturyLink, Viasat
An old internet-company address can outlive the account, end on a set date, or be gone already. Find out which before you cancel anything.
- CenturyLink or Brightspeed DSL vs Starlink: who runs your line, and when to switch
CenturyLink kept its copper, sold its fiber to AT&T and handed 20 states to Brightspeed. Sort out which one bills you, then compare on the same terms.
- Does a HughesNet or Viasat plan change, upgrade or retention offer restart your contract?
Which changes start a new term, what each new fee looks like, and the questions to ask on the call before you accept an offer.
- Frontier DSL vs Starlink: which is better for your home now that Verizon owns Frontier?
How Frontier DSL stacks up against Starlink, what to sort out before the copper ends, and when waiting for Frontier fiber is the better call.
- How to cancel HughesNet or Viasat without a phone call
A dated letter with tracking skips the retention pitch. Here is what each agreement allows, a notice you can copy, and the timing that keeps the last bill small.
- HughesNet Fusion vs Starlink: is the lower-lag HughesNet plan enough?
Fusion was sold on lower lag. Here is what HughesNet actually publishes about it, what it costs to keep and to leave, and how to test it against Starlink at home.
- HughesNet's Chapter 11 and your contract: does the bankruptcy end it early?
Executory contracts in plain words, what the court has and hasn't ordered for customers, the Dec 9 claims deadline, and the hearings ahead.
- Kinetic (Windstream) DSL vs Starlink: check for fiber first
What Kinetic's fiber build means for your address, DSL and Starlink on the same yardstick, and the order of steps if you switch.
- Moving with a HughesNet or Viasat contract: transfer it or switch?
What each company does when you move, the fee math at months 6, 12 and 18, and how to check Starlink at the new home before you decide.
- Pay HughesNet's early termination fee or wait for month 24? The break-even month
Divide your fee by the months left. If the new service saves more than that each month, leave now; if not, the wait is cheaper in money, though not in lag.
- Switch-over day: move every device to Starlink's Wi-Fi without re-pairing
A device-by-device plan for switch-over day: what reconnects by itself, what needs a minute, and what Starlink's network handles differently.
- Verizon Home Internet Lite vs Starlink: what 150 GB at full speed means
Lite and Lite Extra turned into days of full-speed data, with prices checked Nov 3, 2026, and a fair look at when Lite is enough.
- ViaSat-3 vs Starlink: will Viasat's new satellites fix the lag?
New satellites can mean more room in a busy evening. They can't shorten a trip of more than 140,000 km. What to expect from ViaSat-3, and whether waiting makes sense.
- What to do with the old HughesNet or Viasat dish after you switch
Which outdoor parts each company wants back, the part people throw away by mistake, and your choices for the dish that's left.
- Why did my HughesNet or Viasat bill go up? What month 13 costs, and your options
A bill that jumps after a year is usually a new-customer discount running out. Check the amount, then decide whether to negotiate, wait or switch.
Checking method: each price, fee and rule here links to the provider’s or regulator’s own page, dated the day we read it. No internet provider pays for a place on this site; the only income is the Starlink referral explained on our money page. Our fact-checking · How we make money · Corrections