The True Price of Free Internet Access

Jan 2
16:49

2024

Merle

Merle

  • Share this article on Facebook
  • Share this article on Twitter
  • Share this article on Linkedin

The first paragraph of this article provides a brief summary of the content. If you're frustrated with paying monthly fees to your Internet Service Provider (ISP), there's an alternative. You can access the internet for free, but it comes with a catch. You'll have to sacrifice some screen space for banner ads and share personal information. Many free providers require detailed registration forms and may track your online behavior to sell to third parties.

mediaimage

The Popularity of Free Internet Access

According to Jupiter Communications,The True Price of Free Internet Access Articles 2.5 million people signed up for free internet access last year. This number is projected to increase to over 10 million by 2003. This shows a significant interest in obtaining services without monetary exchange.

A Closer Look at Free Internet Service Providers

Let's examine some popular free internet service providers and their offerings.

Address.com

Address.com is a free ISP that tracks your online behavior for ad targeting. The setup and download process is relatively straightforward. The banner ad they place on your screen measures 486x86 pixels, which is reasonable for this type of service. They also provide free email accounts, webpages, and URL forwarding.

FreeInternet.com

FreeInternet.com's banner ad measures 509x76 pixels when undocked. Registration requires extensive personal information, and your online behavior will be tracked and shared with third parties for targeted ads. Their website offers free email accounts, weather updates, shopping, and an instant messaging system.

AltaVista Free Internet

AltaVista Free Internet, available at http://www.microav.com, is another free dial-up service from the search engine AltaVista. The banner ad measures 502x84 pixels undocked. The sign-up process is relatively simple, and they don't ask for as much personal information as some other providers. The download is small at 600K and works on both Windows and Macs.

BlueLight.com

BlueLight.com is a free dial-up service offered by Yahoo and K-mart. The registration process requires a lot of personal information, and your online behavior is tracked and shared with third parties. The banner ad measures 486x86 pixels. The download is large at 3.51 MB, but you can request a CD if you don't want to wait for the download.

NetZero.com

NetZero.com boasts over 4 million registered users. Registration requires extensive personal information, and the download is large at 4.76 MB. The banner ad measures 800x88 pixels, and you'll be required to click on it occasionally or risk disconnection. Like most other free services, they track your online behavior and share it with third parties. They also offer free email accounts and customer support.

For more free dial-up options, visit http://www.nzlist.org/user/freeisp.

The Real Cost of Free Internet Access

The saying "there's no such thing as a free lunch" doesn't seem to apply to free internet access. As long as you're comfortable sharing personal information and viewing banner ads, free dial-up can be a good deal. It can even serve as a backup if your paid ISP goes down.

Free internet access can save you a significant amount of money. So, why wait? Use the money you save to treat your loved ones or save up for a rainy day.