On the access side, the allure of 56-Kbps modems is clearly taking its toll on most providers we reviewed. At press time, most ISPs were still offering only limited numbers of trial modems, generally in the larger metropolitan markets such as Los Angeles or New York. ISDN was more prevalent but still not available everywhere. For small businesses that want a more substantial presence on the Internet, some of the products we reviewed here provide higher-end virtual domain services. Whether opting for an online service with ISP or vanilla ISP, the choice of services has never been greater, and pricing is simple.
Most services also offer fixed usage rates, which are even lower.
So for those not wanting unlimited access, subscribing to an ISP can be pretty inexpensive. Take a look at the reviews on the following pages. One of them is sure to be a pretty good fit. Join us online to see the results of our online survey on ISP user satisfaction and discuss ISPs with senior networking editor Frank J. Derfler, Jr., and senior editor Leon Erlanger. 1999 ZD Inc.