Who’s Your Internet Provider

Internet Providers Are Not Created Equal

By Don Rittner

If you’re new to computing and want to get on the Internet, you need an Internet Service Provider (ISP). There are more than 100 Internet providers serving our 518 area code, but not all ISP’s are created equal. Serving an area doesn’t necessarily mean physically being here.

An ISP is similar in one respect to Ma Bell. You sign up with the Phone Company to get service and pay a monthly fee. Likewise, you sign up with an ISP to get Net service and pay a monthly fee, unless you happen to be a student or have free access from work. However, you do have a wider choice of companies that can provide you with Net service. You’re stuck with one Phone Company!

There are three things you should look for from an ISP. You want a reliable and consistent connection to the Net; good knowledgeable tech support if you have problems; and a company that constantly upgrades their service to stay on top of new developments like faster modems, new technologies, etc.

The most common type of home Internet service is called a dial up account. You use your computer and modem to dial into the ISP’s server, a specially prepared computer that is sitting live on the Net. You obtain an email address and access to the World Wide Web with your account, and some ISP’s will throw in a free Web page, while some will charge you extra. The average monthly fee for a Net account is around $25 for unlimited service, but some ISPs will offer you a "light" service -- x hours per month for x dollars. Your ISP will give you special software instructions so that your computer can "talk" to the ISP’s computer. You simply dial into the ISP server and surf the Net. So far, pretty easy!

Internet providers come in three flavors: National, Local, and Virtual. National services like America Online, CompuServe, and EarthLink, provide a local number to call, but are physically located somewhere else. Local Net providers like Global2000 in Albany or Wizvax Communications in Troy have their own bank of modems and are physically located in the Capital District. Virtual ISP’s can be physically located here or in Timbuktu. All provide a local phone number so you are not being charged for long distance calls.

Personally, I like ISP’s that spend thousands of dollars on Net infrastructure: computer servers, racks of modems, expensive T1 phone lines, and personnel for tech support. They are likely to give you good support. After all, they have to pay for all that equipment, and it is clear that they have made a huge financial commitment.

A "virtual" Internet provider is a person or company that buys bandwidth from MCI, Sprint, or other Net carrier, slaps up a Web server, and starts charging for user accounts.

All three flavors work fine, however, here come the potential problems.

A virtual ISP has not made the same financial commitment as an ISP that spent thousands of dollars on infrastructure. If the profits are not what they expect, there goes your Net service. For them, it’s just a cancellation of their service contract to MCI, Sprint, or whomever. It doesn’t mean that the bigger ISP’s can’t disappear either, and there are many fine virtual ISPs, Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against virtual ISP’s. I simply bring this to your attention for an important reason.

Once you get your email account from any ISP, that user ID becomes your passport to the World. Once you give out your email account to a few thousand people, you certainly don’t want to send them a forwarding address if your ISP takes a powder. I hate America Online, but I can’t quit. I have used my AOL account for my businesses for the last 10 years. There’s no way I have the time or will power to let several thousand people know I changed ISP’s. The only work around this problem is buying your own Internet Domain for $100 which you can bring with you, provided you are on a real Internet provider. I can’t do that on America Online

Commercial online services like America Online are not the Internet, although they want you to think that. AOL is the largest commercial online service and they have a gateway to the Net, but AOL is a closed proprietary system. You need to use their proprietary software to get on. AOL is still the easiest online service to use, when it’s working properly, but for me, I find the constant quirks in their buggy software intolerable. I use my AOL account for email only, and even that is flaky. But in their defense it is an easy to use service and I still recommend it for people that are comptuer phobic and want to get their feet wet. Once you get the hang of it, move onto a real Internet provider. Most of the national and local providers will give you a free trial period.

Perhaps the most important reason for picking a good ISP is for tech support. Once you get your computer set up you shouldn’t need support. But if you do will they be there when you need them? Rick Shetron, owner of Wizvax Communications, a Troy ISP, has personally driven to the homes of several new members to get them up and running. Try getting Steve Case from AOL to come to you home! Don’t be afraid to ask about the qualifications of an ISP’s tech support before you join up.

One fact that many people overlook when shopping for an ISP, is to whom you are giving your hard-earned money. I like to support local business. Personally I want my money to stay in the Capital District, not to a company in Virginia. This is one industry where being the biggest is not necessarily being the best. Also, I want to be able to call someone and get real help when I need it, not a person from a call center reading a prepared script.

In all my years of Net experience, I recommend two local services that know what they’re doing: Global2000 in Albany and Wizvax Communications in Troy. You can’t go wrong with either of them.

Don is the author of several computer books. His latest is The iMacBook (The Coriolis Group, Feb, 1999). Send email to drittner@aol.com, or P.O. Box 50216, Albany, NY 12205.