Most of the greater Chicago area has only two major options for home internet, but people living near the shoreline—either in the Hyde Park area or around Wrigley Field—will have a few more.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) defines broadband as internet service with at least 100Mbps download speed and at least 20Mbps upload speed. Those speeds are enough for most internet activities, including streaming video or playing games online.
Based on the latest available census data, 100% of Chicagoans have access to broadband internet. AT&T and Xfinity offer broadband to most communities around Chicago. RCN and Atlantic Broadband also offer home internet service to some neighborhoods close to Lake Michigan.
The provider WOW! also offers internet service in a few blocks around UIC (University of Illinois at Chicago) and in areas north of O’Hare or south of Midway, as well as some of the western suburbs. If these options don’t work for you, Viasat offers satellite internet service to nearly the entire Chicagoland area.
Most of these providers also offer TV service, which means you can save when you bundle the two services together. Even AT&T, the major internet provider for much of Chicago, offers discounts when you bundle with DIRECTV.