Freei.net, based in Federal Way, is part of a trend in which Internet companies receive revenue from advertising or marketing services instead of user fees. In the case of Freei.net, customers see unremovable advertising along a panel at the top of their computer screens. Analysts expect 4.8 million households to get access to the Internet through free services by the end of next year, according to Jupiter Communications. A growing number of companies, including the giant retailer Kmart, have begun offering free Internet service in the past few months. Even so, the money-saving lure won't persuade the great majority of consumers to ditch their current Web connection.
Nothing is free.
Still, enough people are subscribing to Freei.net that it can claim a customer base of 1.5 million. McCausland, the company's chief executive and president, said the company now offers service in 1,300 cities and towns nationwide. McCausland sees the availability of free service as a natural evolution of how people obtain Internet service. The majority of people signing up for Freei.net service already obtain Internet access from another provider, according to McCausland, though there is no way of knowing just how many continue to use a free service merely as a backup. Our average use is about 14 hours per month - it is within the industry standard for usage.