A few short months ago, none of this would have been possible. Home users had few practical, reasonably priced choices other than the standard, poky modem. Touted as the ''killer app'' that will open up the wonderful world of the Net by making multimedia goodies like video, sound and graphics easily accessible, such connections carry the hope that the days of the ''World Wide Wait'' will soon be over. Cable modems, DSL technologies and wireless communication devices are emerging as viable alternatives. Initial reports are encouraging.
Web surfing with the ease of changing a TV channel becomes possible.
For now, what you can get depends on where you live. Though all are available at some locations, rollouts have just started and are not expected to reach more than a fraction of U.S. homes for a while. Some experts say ubiquitous high-speed service is five to 10 years away. In the short term, few areas are expected to have a choice of high-speed options. It's a consumer's market and a good time to shop,'' says Richard Daughtery of Envisioneering, a Seaford, N.Y., technology assessment and market research firm.