Broadband Internet Selection

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Finding and Selecting a High Speed Broadband Internet Provider

What is broadband internet?
Broadband internet is high speed internet access that is as much as 50 times as fast as your current dial-up internet provider. Dial-up internet has a maximum speed of 56K (K stands for kilobits per second, or how fast data is transferred to and from your computer). Most broadband providers offer maximum speeds of 750K (750Kbps) to 5Mbps.
What are the different choices for broadband internet providers?
There are 2 main choices when it comes to broadband internet access:
- DSL: provided through your telephone line
- Cable: provided through your cable company.

There are 4 other choices for people who do not have or do not want access to DSL or Cable broadband.
- Fiber Optic: available through special fiber optic cables
- Satellite: available through a satellite dish to anyone who has an unobstructed view of the south to southwest sky from their house.
- Wireless: available through a wireless antenna
- Powerline: available through your electrical line
What are the pros and cons of the different types of providers?
- DSL Pros: inexpensive, no equipment to buy, extremely reliable
   DSL Cons: not available to everyone (you must be within 1 mile of the telephone substation), usually not as fast as Cable

- Cable Pros: inexpensive, no equipment to buy, usually provides faster internet speeds than DSL
   Cable Cons: not as reliable as DSL (can be subject to infrequent outages), often slightly more expensive than DSL

- Fiber Optic Pros: extremely fast, no equipment to buy
   Fiber Optic Cons: more expensive than DSL or cable, very limited availability

- Satellite Pros: available to anyone who has an unobstructed view of the south to southwest sky from their house in the US or Canada.
   Satellite Cons: expensive (expect to pay around $60 per month plus purchasing around $600 worth of equipment) and only about 1/2 as fast as DSL or cable. Current special with Hughes Satellite gives you $0 down and $0 first month after rebates, but must sign a contract for 15 months and pay $99.99/month.

- Wireless Pros: some services allow you to have internet access from your laptop even if you are not at home. Also known as Wi-Fi
   Wireless Cons: can be expensive, not available in most areas.

- Powerline Pros: easy to use (can plug a modem into any electrical outlet in your house to get service)
   Powerline Cons: still in testing phase with only a few cities in the US offering service.
How do I find a service provider?