Four million disks have been distributed. Those seeking a second ISP are also propelling the boom. No free lunch. But for all its popularity, free Internet access is not without costs. Users are typically deluged with nonstop advertising, for instance, and often must ante up personal information so marketers can fine-tune pitches to a specific audience.
Customer service can be skimpy and local access numbers scarce.
And the fierce competition in the free ISP market means the service you choose may not last long. Yet analysts doubt such obstacles will slow the free-access trend. A smorgasbord of providers, including Web portal AltaVista, Fox's The Simpsons , and the Black Church Network, now offer free access. Most analysts suspect this type of free service will flop, though, because DSL connection costs are much higher and only a small fraction of the country is wired to handle the service. Fee-based behemoths like AOL and EarthLink say they have no plans to go free.