Accessing the Internet can be done by phone line dial-up, or other methods such as via your TV cable. You make your choice based on the cost, performance (bandwidth), phone call fees, and other factors. What I find interesting is that our local list of choices has grown - something I would not have predicted. I thought that the industry was going to converge, mostly due to the influence of Road Runner and DSL. But, at least for now, you have more choices than ever.
Probably the biggest news is that the local phone calling area (at least for Southport and Oak Island) has been extended to Wilmington. This gives us access to no-fee local numbers for some of the national services such as AOL (America Online) and CompuServe. I thought the odds of them coming to us were low, but apparently now we are coming to them! On the other hand, unless you specifically want some of the content that these services offer, you can get standard Internet access from a local ISP. Check with the phone company on this before you commit to one of these services.
One caution: the BellSouth representative I spoke to urges you to just dial the 7 digit number to access Wilmington. If you dial 1 and then the area code and number, this will go through your long-distance carrier and they will charge you.
One of our local ISPs (Internet Service Providers) here in town - Brunswick Computer Center - has recently upgraded their phone lines to all digital. This will make the connection quality and speed (bandwidth) of the signal much better. The basic fee at BCINet for unlimited service is $19.95/mo, with no installation charge or long-term contract. BCINet bills monthly.
Southport.net from the State Port Pilot upgraded their lines to all-digital last year; their fee is $19.95/mo and they offer a free one month trial if you are thinking of switching from another service. There is no contract or installation fee, and they bill quarterly, which may be more convenient.
The residential Road Runner fee has been increased to $44.95 for current cable TV customers. This is up from $39.95 but still a good deal. The latest news from Road Runner is that you can now get phone dial-in service that you could use when you are away from home. Road Runner also now allows you to check your e-mail from any web browser, so it's easy to check your e-mail on the road.
Recently, Road Runner began commercial service (Road Runner Business Class) in our area. They don't quote fees on their website; call for further information.
And DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) is finally making an entrance into the area. DSL provides a much higher bandwidth Internet access using your current phone line. BellSouth now offers DSL service in the Southport and Oak Island area, but you have to check to see whether your individual phone line is enabled. Make sure you check installation fees - these can be fairly high.
One advantage of Road Runner and DSL is that you do not need a second phone line. However, the cost is higher, so this offsets the savings.
Remember - when you call any of these services you may want to get additional information - not just the monthly service charge. For example, you want to know about installation charges, idle disconnection policies, how many e-mail accounts you get, national dial-in numbers, etc.
Whatever Internet access you use, please be sure to keep your anti-virus software up to date. In addition, you might consider using a firewall for access protection. There are both hardware and software firewalls, each having different characteristics. In fact, I use both!
(Bob Seidel is a local computer consultant in the Southport / Oak Island area. You can visit his website at www.bobseidel.com or e-mail him at bsc@bobseidel.com).