ISPs
In order to access the Internet as well as send and receive e-mail, you need an ISP or Internet Service Provider. Many of you pay a monthly service to America On-Line, Earthlink, Angelfire, MSN, etc. for your Internet access. You connect to these services from home by a modem through your phone line. Others may have a DSL or cable connection (which is faster and more reliable than a phone connection). Below are a couple of sites which descibe the various ISPs available to you:
Free ISPs
With the growth of the Internet, some companies have begun to offer free on-line
access in exchange for you having to look at some advertisements.
If you are looking for an alternative, here are some ISPs (Internet Service
Providers) which are free or have only a nominal initial start-up fee:
The list below is not exhaustive. These are just five of the services that
I have come across as I've surfed the Net.
The disadvantages to these "free" services are;
- you usually will have to tolerate banner advertisements which are
always on your page (either across the top, on the bottom or on the sides)
- you have to make sure that there exists a local number to dial-in to
so that there are no long distance phone charges
- customer service might not be as good as it is at one of the "pay"
ISPs
Like anything else, it is important to get as much information as possible
to see whether one of these is a viable option for you and your family.
If you want, try one (or more) of these free ISP services and let the rest
of us know how they work.
This is only a suggestion and should not be seen as an endorsement for
or against any particular ISP. I'm only making everyone aware of the
options that exist.
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