Provider GuideUpdated May 2026

EPB Fiber Business Internet Pricing in 2026: A Plain Guide

EPB Fiber, the city-owned utility in Chattanooga, was the first US city to offer 1 Gbps to every address. Here is what fair EPB Fiber pricing looks like in 2026.

EPB Fiber doesn't sell like a national carrier. The sales process is short. The rep quotes you the published rate, and that's usually the rate you pay. There's no end-of-quarter dance and no spiff-driven product stacking. The flip side: there's also not much room to negotiate down. EPB is a municipal utility, not a margin-hungry MSO, so the published number is close to the floor. Support is local and gets consistently better reviews than Comcast or Spectrum in the same region. If you're in Chattanooga and used to fighting carriers, the experience feels strange. It's mostly because the incentives are different.

EPB Fiber is operated by the Electric Power Board of Chattanooga, the city-owned utility. The fiber network was built starting in 2008 to support the smart grid, and EPB started selling internet on top of it in 2010. Chattanooga became the first US city to offer 1 Gbps to every address.

Fifteen years later, the model has held up. Pricing is among the cheapest in the country. The technology has stayed current. EPB upgraded the network to 25 Gbps in 2022.

EPB Fiber: Chattanooga's municipal play in 2026

EPB Fiber Optics is owned by EPB, an independent board of the City of Chattanooga, established as a city board in 1935. The most material 2025 governance change was EPB's September 19, 2025 succession plan naming Janet Rehberg as president and CEO-elect ahead of David Wade's planned 2026 retirement. EPB says its 9,000-mile fiber network serves more than 100,000 residential and business customers across a 600-square-mile service area spanning greater Chattanooga, surrounding Tennessee counties, and parts of north Georgia.

On April 25, 2025, EPB announced a partnership with IonQ to build the EPB Quantum Center in Chattanooga, with completion expected in early 2026. The project extends EPB's fiber platform into commercial quantum computing and networking, an unusual move for a municipal utility. On the billing side, an October 22, 2025 BBB complaint described a specific account-transfer dispute pattern in which a Chattanooga customer alleged EPB tried to tie a prior account holder's unpaid balance to the new occupant's account after the address was moved into the new customer's name.

As of May 2026, EPB publicly lists Small Business Internet at 300 Mbps for $75.00 per month with free professional installation and setup. That posted rate is one of the cleanest dollar anchors among any provider in the 26-provider set.

What EPB Fiber sells

Three main business plans.

  1. EPB Business Fiber 300 Mbps. Around $70 a month. Symmetrical fiber.
  2. EPB Business Fiber 1 Gig. Around $90 to $130 a month. Symmetrical fiber.
  3. EPB Business Fiber 10 Gig and 25 Gig. Custom quote, used by larger offices and data-intensive use cases.

EPB also sells dedicated internet access (DIA) with hard SLAs to mid-market and enterprise customers.

Where EPB Fiber serves

EPB Fiber covers the entire EPB electric service territory, which includes most of Hamilton County, Tennessee, and parts of north Georgia.

Outside the EPB service area, the network does not extend.

What you should be paying

These are dedicated internet ranges from current carrier wholesale data, marked up to typical retail.

EPB Fiber and peers in Chattanooga, typical retail (mid 50%)

Monthly recurring charge, dedicated internet access (DIA). Numbers are derived from current carrier wholesale quotes. Shown as a metro-tier band where city-level data is thin.

SpeedTypical retail (mid 50%)Sample size
100 Mbps$630 – $1,060/mon = 6
500 Mbps$955 – $1,660/mon = 6
1 Gbps$1,195 – $2,000/mon = 7
10 Gbps$1,560 – $6,250/mon = 6

If your bill sits above the high end of the band, you are likely overpaying.

Analyze My Bill Free

For EPB Business Fiber 1 Gig at $90 to $130, the comparison is significant. Comcast Business coax at 600 Mbps runs $150 to $230 in Chattanooga. AT&T Business Fiber at 1 Gbps runs $150 to $230. EPB sits 30 to 50 percent below the incumbent on price-to-speed.

When EPB Fiber is the right answer

It fits when:

  • Your address is in the EPB service territory
  • You want symmetrical upload for cloud backup, video, or VoIP
  • You do not need a hard enterprise SLA with credits

For most small and mid-size offices in Chattanooga, EPB is the obvious answer if available.

The two side charges to watch on EPB Fiber bills

EPB keeps the bill clean.

  1. Federal Universal Service Fund (FUSF) fee. Real federal tax. Should be small on broadband-only bills.
  2. State and local taxes. Vary by jurisdiction.

No equipment rental on most plans. No promo expiration. No auto-renewal cliff.

How EPB Fiber pricing changes at renewal

EPB Business plans are month-to-month or 12-month with no early termination fee on most plans. There is no renewal cliff. EPB has held the 1 Gig rate roughly flat since launch.

That stability is part of the muni-fiber pitch. Predictable pricing, no negotiation, no retention games.

What to do this week

  1. Check whether your address is in the EPB service territory.
  2. If you are in their footprint and currently on Comcast or AT&T, run the math. The gap is often $50 to $100 a month.
  3. If you are already on EPB, you do not need to do anything. The rate is the rate.

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Related reading

How pricing plays out in practice

EPB's published rate is the rate. Small Business 300 Mbps sits at $75 a month in 2026, and that number has barely moved in five years. Customers who signed in 2020 or 2021 are paying within $5 to $10 of what a new customer pays today. That is not normal in this industry. Compare that to a Comcast or AT&T customer who auto-renewed at $340 to $450 and is paying double the current market. At 24 to 36 months, you won't find a 30% to 50% gap waiting to be reclaimed. The savings story here isn't "renegotiate EPB." It's usually "move from Comcast or AT&T to EPB." That's where the $150 to $270 a month case studies come from in the Chattanooga footprint.

Contract terms to read before signing

EPB runs lighter contracts than the national carriers. Most small business plans are month-to-month or short-term, so the standard 100% TCV early termination fee trap isn't the main risk. Watch two things instead. First, the account transfer issue flagged in a recent BBB complaint, where a prior tenant's unpaid balance got attached to a new occupant at the same address. Get a clean account in your business name from day one. Second, static IP and managed Wi-Fi add-ons get quietly bundled in by the rep. Confirm what's on the order before you sign.

What moves the needle with EPB Fiber

EPB's retention desk is not built like Comcast's. There's no deep discount pool waiting for a save call. What works: ask about multi-year pricing locks on higher tiers, ask for waived install on DIA, and ask for static IPs at no charge if you're committing to a business plan. Competitor quotes from AT&T or Comcast won't move the needle much on the 300 Mbps tier, because EPB is already below them. They help more on 1 Gbps DIA where there's a few hundred dollars of margin to play with.

When EPB Fiber is the right call

Small to mid-size businesses in Chattanooga, surrounding Tennessee counties, and parts of north Georgia. Single-office professional services, retail, healthcare practices, and light manufacturing under 100 employees. Anyone who wants a predictable bill and local support without playing the renegotiation game every two years. Strong fit for businesses currently overpaying Comcast or AT&T in the EPB footprint.

When to look elsewhere

Multi-site operations with locations outside the 600-square-mile EPB footprint. You'll end up with a patchwork of carriers and no single throat to choke. Also a poor fit if you need carrier-grade DIA with 99.99% SLA and same-hour ticket response for a national operation. EPB's SLA tier and NOC depth are built for regional business, not enterprise WAN. And if true physical diversity matters, you'll need a second carrier on a separate path anyway.

Frequently asked questions

How much does EPB Fiber business internet actually cost in 2026?

The posted rate for Small Business 300 Mbps is $75 a month with free professional installation. 1 Gbps business plans run higher, and dedicated internet access is priced separately. Unlike most carriers, the published rate is close to what you'll actually pay. There's no inflated rate card with a hidden discount waiting for negotiation.

Is EPB Fiber available outside Chattanooga?

EPB's service area covers about 600 square miles, including greater Chattanooga, surrounding Tennessee counties, and parts of north Georgia. If you're outside that footprint, you can't get EPB. For multi-site businesses with one Chattanooga location, EPB works for that site, but you'll need AT&T, Comcast, or a regional fiber provider for the others.

Does EPB Fiber have an auto-renewal trap like Comcast?

Not in the same way. Most EPB small business plans are month-to-month or short-term, so you're not locked into a multi-year contract that quietly renews at above-market pricing. The bigger billing risk is account transfer disputes, where balances from prior occupants get attached to your account. Confirm your account is clean in your business name from day one.

Is EPB Fiber better than Comcast Business in Chattanooga?

For most small businesses in the footprint, yes. Pricing is lower, the network is symmetrical fiber, and local support gets stronger reviews. The case study pattern is consistent: customers moving from Comcast coax at $340 a month to fiber at $150 to $180 a month, same or better speed. The main reason to stay with Comcast is if you're outside EPB's footprint.

Can I get dedicated internet access (DIA) from EPB Fiber?

Yes. EPB sells DIA with SLA tiers on top of its 9,000-mile fiber network, which was upgraded to 25 Gbps capacity in 2022. Pricing for 1 Gbps DIA in the Chattanooga market typically lands in the $1,195 to $1,605 range for Tier B metros, and EPB is usually competitive within that band. Get a written quote with the SLA tier specified.

What happens if I need to cancel EPB Fiber early?

Most small business plans don't carry the 100% remaining-term ETF you see with national carriers. Longer-term DIA contracts may have one. Read the service order before signing and ask the rep directly about cancellation terms. If you're moving locations within the EPB footprint, ask about transferring service instead of cancelling, which avoids fees entirely.