Breezeline Staff Review
Breezeline offers low initial prices, but follows with big price increases
Breezeline (formerly Atlantic Broadband) is the 14th-largest internet service provider in the United States [1]. The company provides cable internet to states on the East Coast, ranging from Maine to Florida. In 2021, the company also purchased networks in Columbus, OH and Cleveland, OH [2]. Cable internet is the second-best technology on the market, faster than any other connection except fiber internet. Wired infrastructure means that you will have stable, reliable internet access that is not likely to be disrupted by rain or snow (which can happen with satellite internet). Breezeline will give you low prices for a full 24 months, their promotional pricing period. After that, their prices will soar. This price hike after one or two years is common among cable internet providers. That means Breezeline may be a good option for you at first, but you’ll have to reevaluate your options when the promotional prices run out. Breezeline is rolling out some 100% fiber [FTTH] options, but that is still limited to a small percentage of its service area [3].Pros
Cable technology provides fast, reliable internet connections Prices are very low for 24 months No required contracts/unlimited data
Cons
Upload speeds still slower than download speeds Prices double after promotional period Equipment fee kicks in after 12 months
Pricing
Low promotional pricing adds equipment fee after year one and doubles after year two
At first glance, Breezeline’s prices seem great. $20 a month for 100 Mbps download speed/10 Mbps upload speed? That’s pretty cheap. So is $30 a month for 200 Mbps download/20 Mbps upload. And the latter speed is fast enough to fully qualify as high-speed internet by the FCC’s definition [4]. Alas, the deal doesn’t last forever. It doesn’t even last the full promotional 24 months, because after year one, you will pay a $17.99 equipment fee. It’s the same story as for many cable internet providers. More than any other ISPs, the cable internet providers often use murky pricing models with hidden fees and price hikes. The good news is that now, the FCC requires broadband labels listing all charges [5]. So, once you actually enter your address and get through to a list of plans for your household on the Breezeline site, you will see a beautiful row of clear plan labels underneath the marketing copy. From those labels, you will be able to clearly see the massive price increases that will take effect after month 24. But if Breezeline is the only wired internet provider in your area, you may find that it is your best option, at least for the first two years. Still, check for other providers and their offered speeds. Some fixed wireless providers may be able to support 200 Mbps speeds, if they have 5G networks.Reliability and Performance
HFC network offers speeds up to 1 Gigabit download
Like most other cable providers today, Breezeline uses a hybrid fiber-coaxial network (HFC). That’s why this ISP can give you speeds up to 1 Gig download, but usually not more than 50 Mbps upload. Still, the high-speed plans from 200 Mbps/20 Mbps should give most households plenty of bandwidth for standard internet activities like HD streaming and online gaming. Only large households with remote workers and avid gamers would need to go as high as 1 Gig. 100% fiber connections, also known as Fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) are available in small patches across the multi-state service area, according to the FTC’s National Broadband Map [6]. The four fiber plans operate at 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps, 500 Mbps, and 1000 Mbps. And of course, all-fiber connections offer upload and download speeds that are symmetrical. Cable internet is known for solid, fast performance, so even if you don’t have the option of all-fiber in your area, you should have a reliable connection from Breezeline’s cable.Equipment, Installation and Bonus Features
Router fee kicks in after first year to raise monthly cost
Breezeline calls its home networking solution “WiFi Your Way,” and it comes with a mesh system that can be customized to fit your home. The basic mesh router set up is free for the first year, then costs about $18/month. If you have been paying only $20/month for the first-tier plan, you can see that the equipment fee alone will really raise your monthly payment! Each additional Wi-Fi extender for a large home will cost $5/month. Professional installation is often free with a promotion, though it will cost you $99 at the standard rate. Self-installation is $10 if tech-delivered, and free if direct-shipped to you.Customer Experience & Support
Mixed reports on customer satisfaction suggest inconsistency in service locations
Breezeline has no national customer service ratings from surveys such as J.D. Power or the ACSI. That always makes it tougher to get a reliable read on customer satisfaction. A quick glance at Reddit comments reveals unhappy customers in Aiken, SC [7]. Users in Cleveland, OH are much more satisfied, on the whole [8]. Similar variation between states or cities indicates one obvious conclusion. Because Breezeline bought out networks from different predecessors, each region may give you a different experience from your Breezeline service. The Breezeline network in Cleveland came from WOW! Internet, which had a strong reputation there. So, odds are that Breezeline’s customers are benefiting from the strength of that infrastructure in Cleveland and Columbus. For that reason, we recommend asking your neighbors about their experience before ordering Breezeline. If you’re lucky enough to get all-fiber or a stronger cable network, you may be quite happy with their offerings.FAQ's
Yes, Breezeline offers some 100% fiber connections [FTTH] in limited parts of its service area, with more fiber near Miami and Washington DC. Mostly, though, Breezeline is a cable internet provider.
Current promotions offer the mesh router free for a year with your plan, but after that 12-month period, equipment costs $17.99 a month.
There are no required contracts for Breezeline.
Breezeline internet comes with unlimited data.
Breezeline serves over 12 states on the east coast, from Maine to Florida. Breezeline also offers internet service in Cleveland, OH and Columbus, OH.
Sources
[1] DgtlInfra.com. "125 Top Internet Providers in the U.S." [2] Wikipedia.org. "Breezeline." [3] Breezeline.com. "Fiber Is Coming." [4] FCC.gov. "FCC Raises Broadband Benchmark." [5] FCC.gov. "Consumer Broadband Labels Now Required Nationwide." [6] FCC.gov. "National Broadband Map." [7] Reddit.com. "Aiken: Is Breezeline as Bad as The Online Reviews?" [8] Reddit.com. "Cleveland: Breezeline Internet Reviews."
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