With fuel costs on the rise, where do consumers feel pinched? The internet bill
Have your utility bills risen over the last year? If yes, then you’re not alone.
According to the 2026 Consumer Trust Survey about 90% of households said utility bills rose in the last year. Citing reporting from TIME, the survey said these factors are entirely outside of consumers’ control.
While most Americans can’t switch their water or gas provider, they are looking at their internet service provider.
About two-thirds of those surveyed said they are not satisfied and have considered switching internet providers. And 30% said they’ve either canceled or downgraded their internet in the past year.
What is causing this rise in unsatisfied consumers?
Here’s what to know:
What did the survey find?
The survey found that 71% of Americans reported the price of home services from the internet, utilities and cable TV has increased over the last year.
About 90% of the Americans who reported higher bills also noted higher electricity bills and 73% reported higher internet bills. Additionally, 53% of this population reported higher streaming or cable costs.
Most notably, utilities such as electricity, gas and water had the most widespread hikes that impacted nearly 90% of respondents. This finding was a significant jump from the 59% founded in 2025.
What is raising internet costs?
Hidden fees are most notably raising the cost of internet bills. The survey found that most Americans reported feeling misled, leading many to consider switching internet providers because of hidden fees or needing to contact customer service to address bills.
“While it’s always recommended to read the fine print of any contract and clarify any uncertain terms, that means the burden often is placed on the consumer to do due diligence — for every single service — to make sure they understand, and that the provider isn’t luring them in with a nice promotional offer only to make it less affordable year after year,” said the survey.
The survey’s ‘most surprising internet fees for consumers’
Hidden internet fees have been raising the cost of monthly bills and confusing customers. About 88% of respondents believe all fees should be included in the advertised pricing.
The survey found that bills increase after a promotional period due to “service fees with unclear descriptions,” equipment rental fees, taxes and regulatory fees, according to the data.
Participants reported that hidden fees were the most “frustrating” aspect of their internet provider more than customer service and slow speeds.
“To put it plainly, price is king,” the survey said. “While having speed issues or bad service can be frustrating, facing unexpected costs is the worst issue customers experience with their internet service providers.”
How was the data gathered?
The 2026 Consumer Trust Survey was conducted by surveying 1,000 Americans to gauge consumer sentiment regarding home service costs, price transparency and provider trust.
The results were “stratified” to reflect the U.S. population according to Census data for age, gender and geographic region, according to Reviews.org.
