Questions for Internet Service Providers
Last updated on June 26, 1996
Will I get full or partial Internet access?
- Many Internet service providers, including the major commercial ones like
AOL,
CompuServe and
Prodigy,
may restrict your access to newsgroups or the services provided by
competitors. They may also, however, provide you with exclusive access
to Internet services only they provide. You need to ask them what you can
and can't get to and what they provide to you exclusively. Most local
Internet service providers do not limit access at all, but they may not
be able to provide you with access to services exclusive to the large
commercial providers.
How much will the service cost and how will it be billed?
- Internet access is getting cheaper and cheaper. If your prospective Internet service
provider doesn't have at least one lower-end plan that will cost you $10/month or less for
a reasonable number of usage hours, look elsewhere.
Most allow direct credit card billing, but don't give anyone your credit card number over
the Internet unless you're absolutely sure the data connection is secure. And don't bind
your credit card to an open-ended pay-as-you-use billing plan unless you're sure you're not
going to exceed the maximum usage allowances. Govern usage carefully - especially if your kids
will have access.
Do you have a dial-up access node in my local calling area?
- If the Internet service provider doesn't have a local node with a local telephone
number that you can dial for access, look elswere. Some provide dial-up access via
800 numbers but may charge an hourly telecommunications fee for their use. Make sure you
know what that fee will be and if it has peak and off-peak usage rates.
What is the ratio of users to available dial-up slots on the local node?
- If your Internet service provider can't or won't provide you with this information, look
elsewhere. The ratio of users to available dial-up slots is important. If too many users
are competing for limited resources chances are you'll encounter difficulties getting connected
especially during busy times of the day. If the ratio is too high you'll be frustrated
constantly by busy signals at the service providers dial-up nodes which require you to
redial a number of times before you can get logged in.
Will I get a POP email account or a Unix shell account with email?
- If your Internet service provider doesn't provide you with a POP email account for your
own personal use, look elsewhere. Most Internet service providers don't provide Unix shell
accounts anymore for security reasons. If you're just planning to access the Internet as
a user this doesn't matter to you. If you're planning to develop your own WWW pages, lack of
a shell account will require you to use FTP to put your pages up.
Will you provide all the software I need including a GUI browser, preferrably
Netscape?
- If the Internet service provider doesn't provide you with all the software you need to
establish dial-up Internet connectivity, look elsewhere. At a minimum you should expect
to receive:
| FTP | Gopher | GUI Browser |
| IRC | Ping | POP Email |
| SLIP/PPP dialer | TCP/IP | Telnet |
Do you provide technical assistance during the evening and on weekends?
- You're going to need assistance from time to time and probably at odd hours. Your
Internet service provider should have a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week technical support line
you can dial for assistance. Ask the provider how long a typical wait is. If they can't
or won't provide an answer, look elsewhere.
Are your IP addresses banned from any Internet sites, and, if so, why?
- If an Internet service provider or its users have a reputation for bad
Netiquette
or poor Netizenship you could get painted with the same brush. Worse - this can get the
provider and its users banned temporarily or permanently from some Internet sites you may
want to visit. If there's been a problem you have a right know what it is. If the provider
is reluctant to discuss it with you, look elsewhere. If they're forthright about any active
or past bans, can provide satisfactory reasons and can identify actions they've taken to get
bans lifted then they're trying to be good Netizens and you should give them a chance to
prove it to you.
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