The 'Net' Physically the net is a hardwired network of computers that spans the world. While it started as a set of US military and university mainframes, today it covers also a great many commercial enterprises, and providers . The providers are organizations that provide a gateway for personal computers to the network, via the telephone. With the growing interest of the public, the number of users is escalating at an alarming rate. Providers pay a heavy fee for their connection, that they get back by charging a monthly fee from their subscribers.
Subscribers only pay the monthly subscription fee.
This means that one can send e-mail to anywhere in the world without any LD charges. The first and foremost use of the Internet is to send and receive e-mail . Some providers will only give e-mail to their subscribers, unless you pay an additional fee to get on the Internet. Others are little more than glorified bulletin boards, who will offer you only their files and their e-mail system, under the name 'Internet'. Their own bulletin board and services are quite good, mind you, but they are not the Net.