In the past I've recommended AOL for novices because of the ease of use of their service. They have, however, augmented their reputation for poor service by selling subscriber profiles to marketing services. They've even tried to sell phone numbers to telemarketers. Another ISP with a bad history but a better present. They do well in service ratings, but I think business users are over-represented in those.
Local universities can also be a source of inexpensive access, particularly for alumni.
Sometimes you can join the alumni association, and get service, even if you never attended the school. See also Small ISPs and Rural Internet Access . Recommended Connection Strategy Macintosh user Consider MacConnect or MindSpring . Some persons spend a month or two with AOL then move on to MindSpring. If you've got a local expert, who will set you up with a local ISP they know and like, then you can go with that choice.