Call your provider. This is common on Windows 3.1, Eudora and Trumpet Winsock, and pretty uncommon on the Mac. Also, some software conflicts with MacPPP and MacTCP, and that can cause bombs, but this is not a thing to blame on your provider. Online services like Compuserve and America Online, excepted. As mentioned in the previous column, if you have a PCI Mac running System 7.5.2, upgrade to 7.5.3 but don't expect perfection.
Slowdowns are common on the net and take a couple of forms.
Servers located in the Silicon Valley are on the busiest part of the net, and tend to be slow no matter how good their hardware or software. When the West Coast and the East Coast are both at peak is the worst time of day, in my experience 3pm to 7pm Pacific time. The worst slowdown is when one of the Routers on the net crashes. It usually takes around 5 or 6 hours to come back. This could be a Pac Bell or a backbone provider problem, but contact your provider about it if it continues for more than a few minutes.