Seven-provider public-offer audit · September 21, 2026

The same monthly internet price can run on a different clock

We recorded one selected public offer example each from Spectrum, AT&T, Xfinity, EPB, Kinetic, EarthLink and Optimum. The key question is not which headline number is smallest: it is how long that number applies, what happens afterward, and which other charges or conditions have their own timing.

This is a fixed snapshot of provider pages observed on September 21, 2026. It includes no customer bills or address-qualified quotes. A term marked “not stated” means we did not establish it on the sampled public page, not that the provider lacks a term elsewhere.

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Short introduction

EarthLink: first two months

In the September 21 snapshot, the $24.95 fiber headline is restricted to the first two months for new customers. A separate generic 12-month stable-rate statement does not tie that duration to the teaser. The sampled page gives no full-price dollar amount or speed tier for the headline.

Year-one price

Spectrum: first year

The Internet 500 public card shows $40 per month for year one. Its crossed-out price is not treated here as a confirmed month-13 contractual rate.

Separate clocks

Optimum: service and gateway

The selected 500 Mbps service rate is stated for 60 months, while the gateway's $0 monthly period is 12 months and can change later under a separate cap.

What the sampled pages state about price timing

Each row is one intentionally selected offer or headline, not a matched address or equivalent speed. EarthLink's $24.95 is a fiber headline rather than a price tied to a named speed tier in the sampled page. The table compares the structure of the terms, not which provider is cheaper.

Seven selected public offer prices, stated rate windows, and later-price disclosures as observed September 21, 2026
Selected example	Displayed rate	Stated rate window	What is known about the later price
SpectrumInternet 500, internet only	$40/mo	First 12 months	The sampled page does not identify a contractual month-13 rate. A struck-through comparison price is not used as that rate.
AT&TFiber Internet 300	$35/mo	Duration not stated on sampled page	The observed $35 card does not state its duration or a contractual later price; the crossed-out $60 is not assumed to be the later bill.
XfinityNOW100 prepaid	$30/mo	Duration not stated on sampled page	The public offer page says pricing is subject to change; no multi-month price lock is stated.
EPBResidential 300 Mbps	$57.99/mo	Duration not stated on sampled page	No prospective price-lock duration for this rate is stated in the sampled price section; historical pricing claims are not a guarantee.
KineticFiber 300 Mbps	$34.99/mo	Duration not stated on sampled page	A price period or later price is not stated for the sampled Fiber 300 card; price locks shown for other tiers are not attributed to this tier.
EarthLinkFiber headline offer (speed not tied to price on sampled page)	$24.95/mo	First 2 months	The offer footnote says full-price plan follows the first two months but gives no dollar amount. Generic 12-month stable-rate copy elsewhere on the page does not establish that the $24.95 headline lasts 12 months.
Optimum500 Mbps Fiber Internet, internet only	$40/mo	60 months of base service	After 60 months, the service price may rise by no more than $15/month per year until standard rates; exact later price is not stated.

Reproducible illustration

How two versus twelve introductory months change the math

To isolate duration, hold everything else equal in a hypothetical service-only example: $40/month during an introductory period and $70/month afterward. Neither pair of rates is attributed to a sampled provider. There are no taxes, equipment fees, credits or address conditions in this illustration.

Hypothetical service-rate calculations by introductory duration
Introductory period	12 months, service only	24 months, service only
Two-month introductory period	$780	$1,620
Twelve-month introductory period	$480	$1,320

Formula: min(intro months, horizon) × introductory rate + remaining months × later rate. In this controlled illustration the shorter promotion adds $300 to 12-month base service. The difference comes only from the ten months that move to the higher rate.

Apply the same method without inventing a later rate

EarthLink headline: Two stated introductory months at $24.95 yield $49.9 in base service. A 12-month service subtotal would be $49.90 + 10 × the later monthly rate. That later dollar amount is not established on the sampled page.

Spectrum Internet 500: Twelve stated months at $40 yield $480 in base service. A 24-month service subtotal would be $480 + 12 × the month-13 rate; the sampled page does not establish that rate.

Optimum Fiber 500: Within its stated service-rate term, 24 × $40 is $960 in base service if all stated discount conditions remain met. Its gateway has a different 12-month $0 period, and taxes and installation can differ, so $960 is not a 24-month bill.

The other fields a buyer has to check

The observed terms below are specific to each sampled page and selected example. “Not stated” points to a question for the provider's current Broadband Consumer Label or address-specific checkout summary; it is not a judgment that the provider has hidden information elsewhere.