Internet access presents both opportunities and challenges.
When we first issued this primer in 1995, choosing an ISP was largely a matter of taking what was available. Choices in many Kansas communities were limited to online services such as America Online , CompuServe , Delphi , GEnie and Prodigy . Savvy users soon outgrew these commercial online services, however, with their high prices and limited functionality. Many consumers have opted for the World Wide Web, which offers an easy-to use, graphical interface and a plentiful variety of content. To take advantage of the Web, users need the kind of high-speed access offered by firms included in Google's Directory of Internet Access Providers .