Choosing a "free" ISP

See also: Lists, directories & resources Choosing a "free" ISP InetUK Statistics About InetUK

Paola Kathuria, April 1999

These notes were written when companies started to provide "free" (unmetered) dial-up Internet access. They accompanied InetUK, the online directory of Internet companies in the UK and Ireland which I'd been maintaining as a free resource since 1993.

In early 1999, I visited the web sites of the free ISPs and read their terms and conditions to research these notes. The ISP market has changed substantially since then and it is possible that some of these issues no longer apply; please check details with ISPs before signing-up to their services.

If you are considering getting "free" Internet access, you may find the following notes handy. When contacting companies, ask to see their Terms and Conditions. They may also publish an Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which you should familiarise yourself with before using your account.

1. Telephone costs not free
   In general terms, "free" means no on-going charges from the provider. You will still be obliged to pay your telephone costs, however, although some services may offer special reductions.
2. Set-up charge
   Some of these free services will charge you a one-off set-up charge, sometimes up to £40.
3. Personal information
   These services are sometimes free in return for information you provide about yourself, which may then be sold on to companies who will contact you.
4. Advertisements
   The conditions of these free services is sometimes that they reserve the right to put adverts in a) your e-mail or b) your web site. You may also be obliged to include links from your web site to theirs.
5. Only a connection
   Some of these free services only provide connectivity - that is, they don't come with any free web space, free e-mail accounts or access to the provider's Usenet news server. You can usually get these services for an extra charge.
6. Software
   Similarly, some companies may get you started by providing a page where you can download free or shareware applications (to read mail, browse the web or read news), a CD with these applications or may provide nothing at all.
7. Additional services
   The services vary in what additional free services you get on top of your free Internet access (e.g., e-mail accounts, web space and newsgroup access).
8. Inactivity
   Many of these services will remove your account if you do not use the service for 30 days or more. This will mean disabling your e-mail addresses and removing any web sites you have on your free web space.
9. Non-commercial use
   Some of these services do not allow you to use the web space for commercial use - this means that you may not be allowed to use the web space for financial gain (such as a company web site).
10. Premium rate support
    Most of the free access providers charge a premium rate for telephone support, some up to £1 per minute.
11. Fee for support
    For those services which charge £1 per minute for support calls, there are some which offer the option of paying a monthly fee to get free unlimited telephone support.
12. Support by web only
    Some services only accept support questions through a form on the web site and cannot be contacted by telephone at all.
13. Registration with CD-ROM
    Some services can be joined by filling in a form on a web site whilst others require you to buy a CD-ROM, sometimes costing over £20.
14. Different name, same company
    Some services are duplicated and just vary by name and addresses. They otherwise provide the same service and are operated by the same company.
15. The living dead
    "Lifetime" access may mean the lifetime of the service and not you - read the Terms carefully.