Chad Cotton, operations manager for TheWorks Internet LLC, agrees that first-rate customer service and a less commercial approach lure subscribers. We just give you access to the Internet. We're not throwing a lot of propaganda in your face, trying to sell you everything. Corporate giants control a majority of the marketplace. AOL Time Warner has about 17.5 million customers, or one-fifth of the market nationwide, according to industry tracker ISP Planet.
Consumers avoid changing because of their existing e-mail accounts and the hassles of the move.
But the big companies do lose subscribers, Prather said. Most community-based ISPs can also offer the service. We are very valuable to our customers. But you have to be diverse. Please tell us your thoughts about this topic.