A National Service Provider is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) with a national presence. This model differs from smaller ISPs that function as local providers, covering limited geographic areas. A national service provider may serve customers throughout the country, although rural areas may have only partial or patchy coverage.
National service providers may offer bundled Internet, TV, and phone services.
A service provider that sells broadband connections, such as digital subscriber line (DSL), cable, or fiber optic service (FiOS), sometimes offers benefits that smaller local providers can’t. For example, these services may bundle telephone, television, Internet, and cellular services under a single account. Robust web space plans with more sophisticated scripting tools and, in some cases, optional built-in business functionality are other features a national service provider can offer. Connectivity can also be more stable with less downtime or outages, although local or smaller providers can also have excellent uptime records.
The Achilles heel of a national provider often (but not always) comes down to customer service. Larger companies tend to have a bureaucratic structure, which can impede efficiency and prompt service. Another drawback is that technical support is often outsourced.
While it may only take a few minutes to connect with a real person who works a helpline for a local or smaller ISP, it can sometimes be a frustrating experience to get help from a large multi-product national service provider. This usually involves navigating through a cascade of menu options offered by an automated operator, followed by a long wait that ends with more transfers or, in some cases, a missed call. Between the hurdles, the customer may have to sit through sales presentations on new products or packages. At the end of the day, success often means connecting with a telephony team on the other side of the world that just follows a generic script without any technical knowledge.
Local and multi-state ISPs often (but not always) excel at customer service, often offering 24/7 help via a toll-free number. Less overhead for a smaller business can mean more money for a better customer service model run “in-house” by trained technicians who know the product. Combined with a decent set of features and a good uptime track record, a smaller or local ISP provider might be the way to go.
Some well-known national broadband service providers include Time Warner Cable (which is sold by RoadRunner), Verizon, EarthLink, AT&T/SBC Yahoo! and Comcast. Smaller providers that offer some national access include strong providers like Los Angeles-based DSLExtreme. To research local and national service providers in your area, check sites like DSLreports or type your city name into a search engine along with +broadband.
