How to Evaluate Free Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

Before you sign up with a free ISP, make sure the company hasn't sacrificed quality for the sake of cost.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Free Internet Service Providers

1. Find out what features the ISP offers. At a bare minimum, these should include e-mail and access to the World Wide Web. Other good features include access to newsgroups, instant messaging, and chat. Odds are, a free ISP won't have Web hosting and other services, but check.

2. Ask the same questions that you would of other ISPs: what modem speeds does the ISP support? What operating systems? How many users are there per ISP modem? What are the technical support services, if any? Remember that you can't get e-mail support if the service is down.

3. Make sure the ISP is actually free. Read the fine print to see if there are any hidden charges or fees that may show up down the line.

4. Determine how the company supports itself. Many free ISPs depend on advertising and end up bombarding their customers with commercial e-mail messages. If you think this may irritate you, seek out another ISP.

5. Look for reviews of the ISP to get a feel for how dependable the service is and how satisfied its users are.

6. Carefully review the ISP's Terms of Service and other fine print, keeping an eye out for any deceptive wording or other traps.

Tips & Warnings

• There's nothing to lose if you sign up for a free ISP and end up not being satisfied - you haven't paid anything.

[thebestintown]

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