Many local providers also offer additional services, although usually for an extra charge. For example, if you need Internet-related training and consulting, or someone to design and maintain a Web page for your business, it probably makes sense to find someone in your immediate area. On the other hand, most local access providers do not include their own software, so you'll need a stand-alone Web browser. If you look hard enough, you might be able to access the same material from an online service or national provider, but a local operation is more likely to make it easily accessible by putting links on its default home page. If you travel frequently and need to gain access to your e-mail or the Web from the road, local providers can be irksome.
Performance also varies widely.
If a local provider doesn't add phone lines as its subscriber base grows, users may often hit busy signals when they're trying to grab urgent e-mail. Some other problems that can plague local providers are slow Web browsing and lengthy file transfers. These mishaps can occur if the link between the provider's facilities and the Internet's backbone lacks adequate bandwidth. With the number of subscribers growing by leaps and bounds, it's easy for even the most dedicated provider to fall behind in these areas. Of course, national providers and online services are susceptible to the same problems, but they have more resources to address them.