Internet Service Providers
A slew of companies will hook you up at no monthly charge, but be prepared for a blizzard of ads on your computer screen. |
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Introduction
The best things in life are free.
Hard Drives
Connect to no-cost storage.
ISPs
Get what you pay for?
Email
Anywhere access for nothing.
Long Distance
Forget 5¢ a minute.
Software
Something for nothing.
Entertainment
Movies, games, novels and music.
More
Just what else do you want?
Net Taxes
How long can the holiday last?
Poll
Are free ISPs worth it?
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| It's the modern equivalent of "a good 5¢ cigar," that irresistibly democratic ideal of Woodrow Wilson's Vice President, Thomas Riley Marshall. Free Internet access brings you the rich flavors of the Net without start-up fees or monthly charges. But beware: like every other free service on the Net, you give up some privacy and invite a torrent of on-screen advertisements.
A Deal With The Devil?
To many consumers, a bit of privacy is a price worth paying. Indeed, according to Jupiter Communications, free-access providers are used by 7% to 8% of all U.S. households connected to the Net. Jupiter expects that number to jump to 13% by 2003. So where are they all going? NetZero, with 3 million registered users, is supposedly the biggest of the free riders—an amazing feat given that it's only 18 months old. A host of other companies have got in on the act too—from established Net players like Juno and Excite@Home to novel entrants like Kmart and the Simpsons, of Bart and Homer fame. AltaVista's FreeAccess service, launched last August, reportedly has signed up more than 1.5 million members.
The chief lure of these offerings: annual savings of up to $300, compared with what you would pay for America Online, EarthLink or other fee-based services. And they come with a solid array of baseline services: unlimited surfing time, e-mail, personalized start pages, calendars, chat services, shopping, news, sports and stock links. That should be enough stuff to get even your stingy Aunt Mae online to see your new baby photos.
There are, however, some clear drawbacks. While free-service providers boast of delivery speeds of up to 56K, access can still be slow—though your modem ticks along at that speed, the free isp's 56K modem might be tied up with some other freeloader, and you will be relegated to a 28.8K line.
Then there are those pesky advertisements that appear on your computer screen—a steady flow of come-ons aimed at you. These ads are how free providers make their money, and you have little choice but to live with them.
When you sign up, you typically fill out forms that give the provider a wealth of information about you and your spending habits. NetZero, for instance, asks not only about your job and income but also about the car you drive, the pets you own (bird, dog, horse, cat, fish, reptile or none of the above) and your plans for buying a house. You do have plans for buying a house, don't you? Balk at any of this, and the application process will come to a halt. Armed with your answers, the service providers can match you up with the appropriate ads. For more clues about your buying patterns, some companies may also monitor your surfing behavior, though they claim to keep a lid on this.
For advertisers, it all adds up to a "method of precision targeting unavailable in any other medium," NetZero says. Is this such a terrible thing? Not everyone thinks so. Indeed, targeted ads may prove more interesting to you than randomly placed ones. Think about the mail-order catalogs that come to your home these days. Chances are, they reflect your likes and dislikes a lot better than they did 10 years ago. That's because credit-card companies have been selling data about your consumption habits to marketers looking for better product placement.
That said, online ads can be as distracting as the lights of a carnival midway. Throughout your sessions on most free services, ads appear in a control window that, while movable, cannot be closed. Some of the ads blink. Others flash. Try to close one, and you will be logged off. The upshot: a cluttered screen and a faint feeling that somewhere in your past you sold your soul.
Still, free Internet access is clearly on the rise. For some people, it's a convenient backup to their main provider. Others, drawn inexorably by the word free, are using the services for their first experiences on the Net. As such, free access is doing its part to bridge the digital divide between those who are on the Internet and those who aren't.
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PHOTO-ILLUSTRATION FOR TIME DIGITAL BY STUDIO 212 |
