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Cybertalk |
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2006 EPpy Winner -- Best multimedia Providence, R.I., Overcast 48° |
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Cybertalk by Timothy C. Barmann Feel free (well, cheaper) to try other Internet plans Few Cybertalk columns have elicited so many responses as my last one, which suggested that America Online customers consider less-expensive alternatives to connect to the Internet. Some thought I was way off the mark, while others said they appreciated the information. It seems the column also raised questions with readers, including one from Albert Lee, of East Providence. Lee wanted to know if there was some way to switch to a cheaper Internet access provider, and still hold onto his AOL e-mail address. The answer is yes, for $4.95 a month, you can keep your AOL address. AOL has a plan for those who connect infrequently. It allows for 3 hours of connect time per month, but going over that amount runs $2 an hour. Rebecca Nero, of Cranston, read the column and decided to leave AOL, she said. But something curious happened when she called to cancel. She told me in an e-mail exchange that the AOL representative had at her fingertips the average amount of time Nero had been spending on AOL. Her usage over the past 8 months was 112 minutes a month, and she could save money by switching to the $4.95 plan, the representative told her. "In fact, in my entire time as an AOL subscriber, I never came close to 180 minutes!," she said. "Well, why didn't someone tell me this before?" Michael Feeny asked whether there were other alternatives besides AOL that would allow his company to connect anywhere, including other cities in the U.S. and Italy. The answer to that question could be the subject of an entire column. AOL does have access numbers throughout the U.S. and Europe. If you are an AOL user, and need short-term access while traveling abroad, I see no reason to switch. If you are planning to stay a while, or have an office overseas, then it's worth researching. I do know that Earthlink, for one, offers dozens of access numbers in Italy, and in other European countries. The way Internet access is priced in Europe is generally very different from pricing in the United States. Europeans can choose from many free Internet access providers, but usually have to pay per-minute charges to the phone company while online. One reader from Cumberland pointed out another good deal for Internet access in Rhode Island: Galaxy Internet Services (http://www.gis.net). The Newton, Mass.-based company will charge $14.95 a month for unlimited access, beginning July 1. Some AOL users weren't pleased with my advice to explore cheaper alternatives. "You've gotta be kidding," wrote Mauro Primo of Johnston. "How can you possibly propose any of those 'smaller providers' as anything to even compare to AOL or AT&T?" In response, I told him of an experience I had with a smaller Rhode Island Internet provider that convinced me that smaller is often better. After having trouble getting a Macintosh laptop to connect to the Internet, I brought the computer to the provider's office, where a technician gladly installed the needed software, and configured it for me. I doubt you will get that kind of service from a company like AOL, or some of the other huge ISPs. Tony Longo, of Warwick, said the column was "misleading" because it didn't compare AOL and the other providers in terms of connectivity, reliability, service, out-of-area costs and other rate plans. Longo raises some valid points. But doing an exhaustive comparison of all these factors can be somewhat futile. That's because they can change from one month to the next. An Internet provider can provide great service for a time, and as it becomes more popular, and if the company doesn't manage its growth properly, its service can go downhill quickly. Providing those types of comparisons may be helpful today, but next month or next year, they won't mean much. That's why I suggest giving an Internet provider a try for a month or two. If the service is lousy, move on. I'm glad Longo and other readers brought AOL's $4.95-a-month rate plan to my attention, which indeed is a good alternative for low-use subscribers. But I stick by my recommendation to AOL users that they consider the less-expensive Internet access providers if they mainly want unmetered Internet access, e-mail and chatting. If you are happy with AOL, and don't mind paying the extra $2 a month, then by all means stay with them. Timothy C. Barmann covers technology for The Journal. His column runs every other week on the More For Your Money page. He can be reached at tim@cybertalk.com. Digital Extra: Read the earlier Cybertalk column suggesting America Online customers consider another Internet service provider: http://projo.com/extra/cybertalk/
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