NextLight Wins Overall Readers’ Choice for ISPs for 2026

June 2, 2026 – A municipal broadband provider in Colorado has been named the nation’s most recommended internet service provider, beating major national competitors in PCMag’s annual Readers’ Choice Awards.

NextLight, the city-owned fiber network serving Longmont, earned the publication’s top overall ranking for 2026 and was also named the best municipal or local internet provider for the second consecutive year.

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The recognition places the municipal network ahead of larger national providers, including GFiber, which held the top overall spot in last year’s survey. Another Colorado-based provider, Pulse, ranked fourth overall.

“We got our start because Longmont wanted better internet. We built NextLight to meet their needs,” Valerie Dodd , NextLight’s executive director, said in a release.

The award highlights the growing prominence of municipal broadband networks as communities seek alternatives to traditional internet providers.

Longmont has become a national example through what broadband advocates often call the “Colorado Model.” The model is a locally driven approach to broadband deployment that emerged as communities sought ways to expand high-speed internet access amid delays and uncertainty surrounding federal broadband funding programs.

NextLight has continued expanding its footprint and affordability initiatives. In 2025, the provider extended service availability to more than 28,000 area residents and launched programs aimed at helping lower-income households remain connected.

Among those efforts is NextLight’s Internet Assistance Program, created after the collapse of the federal Affordable Connectivity Program. The ACP had provided eligible low-income households with a monthly broadband subsidy before funding expired in 2024. NextLight’s program was designed to help fill that gap for qualifying residents.

PCMag’s rankings also recognized leading providers across multiple technologies. GFiber was named the top fiber-to-the-home provider, while Astound Broadband earned recognition as the highest-rated cable internet provider. Starlink was named the leading satellite broadband provider, and T-Mobile received top honors for 5G home internet service.

The rankings come as consolidation continues across the broadband industry. Earlier this year, GFiber and Astound Broadband announced plans to combine operations in a transaction expected to close in late 2026, creating a larger competitor in the residential broadband market.