| Top Dial-Up Providers |
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Provider
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Price/Month
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Access
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Trial Offer
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Email
Accounts
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Features
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1
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$12.50
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Unlimited
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None
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5
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10MB webspace
Widespread access #’s
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Our Opinion: Best overall package. Low monthly rate. Widespread availability with 50,000 access numbers in over 10,000 cities. Unlimited Access. No setup fees or contract. Cancel at anytime. New accounts are activated in approximately 4 hours (on average). 56K. 5 free emails. 10 MB of web space. Payment with a credit card or check. Also available in AK, HI or Canada for $12.50 per month. Lacks the customizable features and chat rooms of AOL.
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2
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$9.95
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Up to 150 Hours of Access
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None
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4
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10 MB webspace
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Our Opinion: One of the lowest rates available. Limited availability with limited access numbers per state. Up to 150 hours of dial up access. You will be charged $1.50 per hour for each hour over 150. No contact or setup fee. 56K. 4 free emails. 10 MB of web space. One of the few providers that is also compatible with Macintosh.
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3
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$12.45
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Unlimited
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None
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5
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Our Opinion: Good price and service. Available in over 2,000 cities. Unlimited Access. No setup fees or contract. Cancel at anytime. 56K. 5 free email addresses. Also available in Canada, AK and HI for $12.45.
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4
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$21.95
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Unlimited
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1000 Free hours
45 Days
$10.97/month
for 1st 6 months
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8
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Customized content
Instant Messenger
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Our Opinion: Simple Internet service with a lower rate than AOL. Trial offer 1,000 free minutes (22 hours per day). $10.97 per month for first 6 months. Expires 12/31/02. 7,000 dial up numbers nationwide. Unlimited Access. 8 email accounts. Customize personal start page. Instant messaging. Free activation.
Scoring System
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5
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$21.95
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Unlimited
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1 Free Month
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9
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Easy Navigation
Customized start page and software
Parental Control Features
Spam Filtering
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Our Opinion: Microsoft is competing directly with AOL for dial-up accounts. 5,000 local access numbers. 1 Free month Trial Offer. Windows 95 or later operating system. Easy to navigate. 10Mb. Customized star page and software. Personal Finance service through MSNMoney. Parental control features. Spam filtering. Instant messaging notifies pager, mobile phone or PDA. Be prepared for ads and solicitations. MSN’s privacy information says will use your personal information to inform you of other products and services that they believe you will be interested in, including products from third parties. MSN does provide a few steps for information control.
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6
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$23.90
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Unlimited
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1025 free hrs
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7
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Customized content
Easy navigation
Instant Messenger
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Our Opinion: Highest monthly rate. AOL is the largest dial up providers with 35 million worldwide subscribers. They have been providing service for over 15 years and control over half of the dial up market. Widespread availability. Trial offer- 1025 free hours- must be used in 45 days (22 hours per day). To decline service after trial, must contact them before the trial period is over. Unlimited access. 7 email addresses per account. Cancel at any time. Easy to navigate. AOL is the leader of customizing content for the individual user. Additional features such as instant messenger, access to Internet games, exclusive previews to music and movies. To reduce unrequested ads and solicitations, use the opt out option while registering for service.
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7
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$9.95
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Unlimited
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First 10 hours are free
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1
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"Compatible with instant messaging programs of other providers. Junk e-mail filter"
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Our Opinion: The no charge for first 10 hours is attractive. $9.95 per month after the 1st 10 hours. NetZero merged with Juno.56K. This sounds like an appealing offer; however, nothing in life is actually free. You will be subjected to a high dosage of banner ads. Also read closely the Terms and Conditions. They periodically collect and distribute information about you, the websites you visit and the information you provide on the NetZero questionnaire. They may provide this to 3rd parties. As a subscriber, you will be obligated to fill out their surveys and questionnaires. Charges $1.95 per minute for live technical support.
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