There are some free internet providers out there, like netzero. But be aware that they are very limited on how much time that you can use them for free each month. You may have long enough to check your email, but not much more. There are a lot of low cost alternatives though. NetZero is one, Juno, and People PC, coppernet, etc. I'm sure that there are others out there. Check in with your local computer shop, they will know what's available in your area. You're generally going to have to pay around $10 for anything with enough hours to do you much good.
If you google "free internet access providers", it shows that as of now, Sept. 2008, Net Zero is about the only internet provider that offers free access in Sarasota, FL.
The main reason why I don't like dial-up internet access is because it ties up my telephone line whereas DSL provided by your telephone company allows you to use your land line phone and still use the internet at the same time.
At one time I had to have a second phone line installed just for my computer, so I could still receive important phone calls.
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Archives:
Request: Free Internet Access
Archived on 09/22/2008
Anyone using any of the the free internet programs. If so, what do you think and which programs are the best?
Thanks
Jim
Answers:
Altavista
To the reader who asked about free internet access, I use Altavista (www.altavista.com) with no problems. It doesn't take long to dial in from where I am and the ad banner can be moved around on the screen. I have been using this service for about two months now and I really like it. Beth (11/30/2000)
My daughter tried installing the "free" JUNO and found out that when you have a problem, they will not offer free technical support service; if you pay a monthly internet fee they will help you for FREE. She had an old computer and could not upgrade to latest AOL so they dropped her. She went to JUNO and had a problem with the FREE, but when she signed up for the monthly fee and installed JUNO it worked fine. So I guess it may depend on your computer capability. My daughter wound up signing up for the monthly fee internet! Remember, you get what you pay for. Ms. Syd Barr - Dunkirk, MD (11/30/2000)
From the point of view of a webmaster, free email is a headache for us. Many Juno and Hotmail addresses bounce as "Mailbox Full" or "Connect Error". That means you don't receive your newsletter or the email from friend. Although free email is a very thrifty solution, if your email is important to you, I'd recommend a pay service. We use a local internet service provider in our area. It costs about the same as AOL or Earthlink but we can call up and talk to a real person to work through any problems with our connection. Susan - ThriftyFun Editor (11/30/2000)
I have not used Blue Light (K-Mart's) but it was rated best by a computer magazine as the ad space is smaller than the others. I did pick up a Blue Light CD at K-Mart. They're free by the checkout stand. I have used favorite I-Net, Net-Zero, and Juno. Becky S. - Cincinnati (11/30/2000)
I've tried about 8 free ISP's. Right now I think the two best are Bluelight and Freeatlast. You can get a free CD for installing Bluelight at any K-Mart. It does have a banner which does get in your way sometimes. You have to learn to ignore it. Freeatlast.com has no banner....has a good homepage, and anonymous e-mail. I've found Netzero has gone way downhill since it's inception. Find one or two with local access numbers and give them a try. MaryKaye (11/30/2000)
We finally gave up and paid for a reasonable service.
In reference to the free internet access: We had a slower modem and the advertising that the free services used made accessing the internet so slow that we finally gave up and paid for a reasonable service. J.H. (11/30/2000)
I have been using Juno on the freebie site for about 10 months. Every so often they upgrade & when they do I can't connect to the Web sometimes for about 3 to 4 days. Also when they finish upgrading I start to get more big, really big ads on the screen, sometimes as big as 1/4 of the complete screen. I sometimes wonder if they aren't doing that to get me really aggravated, thinking that I may eventually succumb to paying for their upgrade. And I do think eventually that will happen as what they are doing is very frustrating. Also right after they upgrade their freebie site, I can be in the middle of an e-mail & boom, they throw me off. Good luck. Rabbit Ears (11/30/2000)
I've been using Alta Vista FreeAccess since July 4, 2000 and am quite pleased! I actually am able to connect faster than my old ISP (for which I paid $15 per month), and I am hardly ever disconnected. The advertising takes up a small amount of space and I'm completely used to it. Free! I love it! Melinda (11/30/2000)
I've used AltaVista since July, but as of Dec. 10 they will no longer be operating. I'm now checking out other options...will keep you posted! (12/09/2000)
