If you’ve been able to enjoy one form or another of broadband internet access, you’d have a hard time returning to dial-up connections, although some you may miss the buzzing sound coming from the modem when it connects. Some adept users could even identify the error code based on the sound of the system. However, the “modem whisperers” are certainly thinning out in numbers since the explosive popularity of faster, always-on connections like Cable, DSL, Fiber, and Satellite.
What may surprise you is that according to a recent CNN story, of the 10% of US customers that still use the revered modem-and-phone-line to connect to the Internet, barely 14% do so because they cannot access one of the broadband access media! Although many dial-up users lament that the cost for broadband is simply too high, a surprising 20% of those in the modem crowd have willfully joined the nostalgia movement after using some form of broadband access.
A related story from C-Net indicates that AOL will soon raise their dial-up access rates by 20%, possibly due to the well-established laws of supply and demand, which pre-date even the tin-cans-and-string as a communication medium.
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This happened to my in-laws. They are still on dial-up but are considering switching to broadband because their carrier keeps raising the dial-up prices. It’s sad, really, because they only use the internet to check email a few times a week.
If their internet use is minimal, there are several options they may want to consider depending on how much they pay currently. Wireless broadband may be an alternative if they have a laptop. You should also consider whether they have satellite TV or cable TV to see if there are special low cost offer which many providers don’t always advertise.