"Broadband is still very much in its infancy."
Gemma Toner is Senior VP at Optimum Online, one of the largest companies offering cable Internet access in the New York metropolitan area. All over the country, the story is the same. Once Net surfers get a taste of high speed access ... often at offices, colleges, schools or libraries... they want it at home...
"Imagine the Internet on steroids. Everything is faster. It's no more waiting, it's instantaneous downloading, it's instant access, you can actually talk on the phone while you're on the Internet. When you use a cable modem you're not using a telephone line, so there's a lot of benefits. It's almost like going from black and white television to color, how dramatic that is. That's how your Internet experience changes."
Prices vary around the country. You have to shop around to find the best deal. The choices include cable, DSL and in some areas wireless. When you compare the costs with dial-up... remember... you won't need that extra phone line any more. And there are networking kits that will let you share the connection among multiple PCs in the house. If you're buying a new PC, think twice about deals including rebates that lock you into a multi-year commitment for dial-up service.