Marin Internet Providers | Complete List of ISP’s in Marin County

Looking for a List of Internet Providers in Marin County?

You have just purchased your new home in Marin County and need a list of Marin internet providers? You have come to the right place. This is one of the most frequent questions I receive from Marin home buyers so I thought I would put together this guide to be of some assistance.  (Last updated: January 2024.)

Fortunately, we do have a choice of Marin internet providers, though national behemoth Comcast (Xfinity) is by far the largest player. However both Sonic and AT&T are rapidly expanding in Marin County, stringing fiber lines throughout the neighborhoods. At my own home, I now have a choice in Marin internet providers: Comcast (Xfinity) and AT&T Fiber both service my home, with Sonic trucks all over the neighborhood promising a third option soon. I have already signed up for Sonic, giving them a pre-order online so I can get their service as soon as it is available.

Since I first wrote this article in 2018, beyond the above three “wired” options, we are also seeing the major wireless carriers begin to offer home internet service over their 5G cell towers. While the speeds cannot compete with the wired options, they are reportedly perfectly acceptable for many households, and offer service for as low as $35 a month in Marin County. T-Mobile and Verizon have led the charge, with AT&T quickly following with a product they call AT&T Air.

Update March 2018: The FCC has now rolled out what they call a “cloud-based broadband map” where you can input your address and it shows all the broadband providers for that address.  Please click here to access the FCC broadband tool.  Please note that this map may overstate the providers in your neighborhood, as indicated by this article, but it is a good place to start.

I will try to keep this list updated. Following are the Marin internet providers as of this writing:

Marin Internet Providers: SONIC

Sonic is the latest to join the family of Marin internet providers and from what I hear they are a welcome addition. When you call them at 1-888-766-4233 they often pick up the phone very quickly. I also like the fact that they are a local company. Their 10-gigabit home service is $50 month as of this writing. When I emailed them to ask them for coverage areas, a real person responded within 24 hours with this: “Sonic is constructing our 10 gig fiber within the city limits of San Rafael and Novato. Both cities have some areas currently live for the 10 gig service but with the majority in request fiber status while the construction is ongoing. Outside of those two cities Sonic does not currently have any live or announced services within the boundaries of Marin.” 

Sonic has very straightforward plans with no contracts and no gimmicks as far as I can tell.  They have gone on the record as pro net neutrality, something their big brothers have been fighting. Their customer service ratings are stellar, and they are headquarted just a little to our north in Santa Rosa. You can check availability and sign up for sonic here.

Marin Internet Providers: AT&T Fiber

AT&T Fiber began a big expansion into Marin a few years back and then seemed to stop.  In 2022 they re-started their build-out and began rolling out AT&T Fiber in many parts of Marin, providing high-speed upload and download broadband service with fiber optic cables to your home. I just had it installed in my home and am very pleased with the service. Unlike the Comcast product (below), there are no monthly data caps and no equipment fees or contracts. As of this writing, my home internet is $70 per month for gigabit speed (up and down), great for uploading large files or data-intensive Zoom calls.

Here’s a map which shows the current deployment of AT&T Fiber in Marin County: https://broadbandmap.fcc.gov/provider-detail/fixed?zoom=15.18&vlon=-122.533032&vlat=37.922847&providers=130077_50_on&br=r&speed=0_0&pct_cvg=0

You may reach them at 1-800-288-2020 or click here to check availability.

My friend Susan B. in Terra Linda switched from Comcast to AT&T several years ago and has been happy with her service. “While it is not perfect, it is infinitely better than Comcast,” she remarked.

AT&T is also in the very early stages of rolling out their AT&T Air product, which will be a home internet service provided via their 5G cell towers.

Marin Internet Providers: Comcast / Xfinity

Comcast has renamed their home internet / TV / phone and security services Xfinity so I will refer to them as such. They provide internet, home phone, cable TV and home security services under that brand, and discount heavily for new customers (and when they think they are going to lose a current customer.) By far, Xfinity is the largest of the Marin internet providers and chances are they service your home. They consistently rank towards the bottom of customer satisfaction surveys and we have certainly had our share of issues with the Xfinity service. You may reach them at 1-800-266-2278 to explore pricing and availability. 

I would also suggest you visit the new Xfinity store in Terra Linda — sometimes it’s easier to resolve issues face-to-face than on the telephone. Also they have sales people there who can walk you through the various options, offer special promotions and discounts. Several clients / friends have saved money on their monthly bill by bringing it into this location and asking about new promotions.  I have also found their Twitter/Reddit direct messaging platform very efficient at negotiating prices and resolving issues.

Marin Internet Providers: Verizon 5G

As mentioned above, Verizon is now offering home internet service via its 5G cell towers. Currently plans start at $35 a month if you’re already a Verizon customer. You can click here to learn more.

Marin Internet Providers: T-Mobile

T-Mobile is also offering home internet service via its 5G cell towers to some addresses. Pricing tends to be competitive with Verizon above. You can click here to learn more.

 Marin Internet Providers: Filing A Complaint

I am hopeful you won’t need this section, but I have heard stories from my Marin real estate clients on service and billing issues from at least one of the above providers. If you have failed through regular channels, a few tips from my own experience:

➡ File a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC): This can be an effective way to get the attention of a company that’s being, let’s just say, less than helpful. A case number will be assigned an in my experience, someone from the company’s “executive support team” will follow up and make things right.

➡ You may also file a complaint with the CPUC, the regulating state authority.

➡ There are rare cases where the Marin Telecommunications Agency can provide some assistance. The Marin Telecommunications Agency (MTA) provides some oversight over the local providers, however they no longer have the power to award the county franchise. The Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006 (DIVCA) established the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as the sole cable/video TV franchising authority in the State of California. However I have had some success in asking the MTA to intervene when we have experienced issues with Comcast here in Marin County.

➡ Finally, calling during business hours and selecting the “disconnect” option sends you to their retention / loyalty teams, who are empowered to waive fees and do what they can to keep you as a customer.

As a top Marin real estate agent, I am an expert on many things in Marin County, and if there’s something I don’t know, I’m usually able to locate a knowledgeable resource. Feel free to call / text me at +1.415-847-5584 if I may be of assistance, or complete the contact form below.

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