The Price of Free ISPs

BuyerZone.com Staff

Have you heard the latest? Get on the web for free!

Free Internet service providers have been on the scene for over a year now, but do they really provide web surfing at no cost? Well, sort of. There is usually at least a small price to pay for most of these so-called "free" providers.

But with those ISPs that come at no cost, you do end up paying:

Constant advertising.
Free ISPs often get their revenue from the targeted banner ads you've got to view as you surf the net.

Loss of privacy.
It's likely you'll have to fill out time-consuming registration forms that ask you many detailed questions about yourself. And once you start using the ISP, the provider may keep track of what sites you've visited -- and sell the information to advertisers.

Shoddy customer service.
On top of that, customer service for these free ISPs usually leaves much to be desired. If you're worried about being able to connect, or getting a good connection (both of which can be common problems), it's worth trying the customer service line once or twice to see how you're handled.

But the good news is you do get most or all the service you now expect from ISPs: e-mail, chat, instant messaging, news, and web browsing.

Is it worth it?

If you are thinking of getting an ISP for your personal use, saving a few hundred dollars probably is worth it -- if you don't mind dealing with ads and giving up a little bit of privacy.

But if you are looking for Web access for your business, steer clear of the freebies. It's worth it to pay the monthly fees to have a good connection and quality customer service -- and no ads floating in your line of vision or at the bottom of your outgoing emails.

What free ISPs are available?

There are quite a few, but some are pretty well known.

NetZero
www.netzero.com
This free ISP lets you access to the Web and comes with all the goodies. It's been around for over a year now and touts three million users. But in return for the service, you have to give a bunch of personal information and allow them to track your Web usage. And annoying, non-removable ads are going to take up about one-tenth of your screen. Aren't you glad you bought that 19-inch monitor!

AltaVista
www.altavista.com
Its "Free Access" ISP comes with the same burdens as NetZero's. But they have a big userbase as well: 1.5 million users. Time-consuming registration forms, like NetZero's, are part of the package. Customer service for this provider has left some users frustrated with unreturned calls and help that just wasn't so … helpful.

Juno
www.juno.com
Juno, a supplier of email for years, introduced free web access in December 1999. You still have to deal with ads, and unlike Juno's paying customers ($9.95/month), you don't get free customer support. Local dial-up access numbers are also limited.