Which Way To The Highway? There Are Many Different Ways To Access The Internet - Look For The One That Best Fits Your Family’s Needs

Many roads lead to the Internet, but is there a path right for you? For families seeking access to the global network of computers linking data, news and opinion to your home computer, several options are available.

Internet access, also called connectivity, can be achieved through public on-line services, local access providers and long-distance telephone companies. Each caters to specific customer needs.

On-line services

More than 10 million people subscribe to these services. America Online, Compuserve, Prodigy and Microsoft Network provide organized content in a family-friendly environment and, as part of their service, Internet access.

Although each is slightly different in format, on-line services offer chat rooms, electronic mail, news and entertainment. You can send mail to friends around the world, make airplane reservations, check snow conditions, join clubs, access reference materials and more.

Many of these features are available directly on the portion of the Internet called the World Wide Web which you could access through a local provider. But subscribers to an on-line service get more than Internet access. They get easy-to-find content, parental control over what their kids can access, and a sense of community within cyberspace.

Here is a comparison of the on-line services:

Content: America Online (AOL), the largest on-line service with 5 million subscribers, is the content leader. AOL sets the standard as a general content provider with popular offerings such as an on-line version of Newsweek magazine, parenting advice from Focus on the Family, a Kids Only section, news and weather hourly updates, and clean, bright graphics.

Compuserve is the best choice for the technical user, hosting more than 50 personal computing forums and providing the latest technology updates.

Microsoft Network, which has grown to 1 million subscribers in seven months, is gaining on AOL in content.

Although Prodigy was the first major on-line service, its content is weak and it has fallen behind its competitors.

Ease of use: When comparing ease of use among on-line services, we considered overall organization and use of icons, Internet access tools and access speeds. Of the four services tested, AOL ranks highest for ease of use. AOL provides simple mouse-driven point and click icons, along with the best access speeds for our region.

Because of the popularity of AOL, connectivity can be slow during peak periods, resulting in busy signals and system hang-ups; however, AOL still provides the best performance in the Inland Northwest when compared to the slower access speeds of the other services.

Compuserve has reasonable local access, but the interface uses text more than graphics, giving it a dated techno-nerd look. Compuserve has excellent Internet software, but it is only compatible with PCs. (The Macintosh version will be available this spring.)

Compuserve has just introduced a new service called WOW which came out too late for this review, but deserves investigation as it is in direct response to the AOL product.

Microsoft Network is impressive, but requires a long-distance call to Seattle for high-speed access, and is limited in scope since it works only on PC’s using Windows 95 operating system.

Prodigy falls to last place with the slowest access speed, dated graphics and cumbersome Web access, which is only available for PCs.

Parental controls: For parents who want to prevent their kids from accessing controversial content on an on-line service, parental controls allow the master user to pre-program filters for each family member. AOL and Prodigy provide the best capabilities in this area.

Affordability: All four services have similar pricing structures. Subscribers are charged a single monthly fee for a set duration of connectivity, such as $10 for five hours. Beyond the five hours, fees escalate since each additional hour costs $2 to $3.

Some services offer high-usage packages such as $20 for 20 hours. Others charge additional fees when subscribers access premium content such as reference libraries or celebrity forums.

All the services provide free one-month trials.

Local access providers

Perhaps you have no need for the content offered from an on-line service. You want your dollars to pay strictly for Internet access.

You may own a home business and want to establish a presence on the World Wide Web, or as a student, you may want Internet access to e-mail your relatives or download files for research.

Individuals with these priorities would find an on-line service expensive when the monthly limit is exceeded and hourly rates begin. A better option is a local Internet provider in Eastern Washington or North Idaho.

“You’re spending money you don’t have to,” says Sheryl Stover, marketing director at Internet On-Ramp, a Spokane access provider, “and when you use a national on-line service, you are sharing an Internet connection with thousands of users at the same time. Locally, you are sharing access with one to two hundred people. You have a much better chance of being productive and you don’t experience the waiting problem.”

Local Internet providers offer rates around $25 monthly for 100 hours, or in some cases, unlimited access. They have access speeds equivalent to America Online and for those in rural communities, a few of the local providers have relay stations enabling customers to pay local rather than long-distance charges for connectivity. Also, local providers have offices where subscribers can get training and receive advice and assistance.

The following questions may help in choosing among the regional Internet providers: Do they have local access in your community? Do they have phone support available during the hours you plan to connect? Do they offer training courses? Do they cater to individuals or businesses? For Mac users, will their software work on the Macintosh?

Telephone companies

AT&T recently offered customers free Internet access for five hours a month, or unlimited access for $20 per month ($25 for non-AT&T customers). The company is struggling to handle the high volume of new Internet customers who must wait several weeks for their software. MCI, Sprint and other long-distance companies have packages similar to AT&T’s. Telephone companies are competitive with local Internet access providers in price and access speed, but they do not provide local support. xxxx

These 3 sidebars appeared with the story:

1. WHERE YOU CAN GO Fun Wired (send e-mail to info-rama@wired.com): Send “subscribe hotwired” in the e-mail message and you will be placed on the mailing list of Wired, the hip magazine dedicated to techno-innovations. Chess (telnet to aragorn.andrew.cmu.edu): A site to watch or play chess on-line. The WELL (use gopher to burrow to Gopher.well.sf.ca.us): The WELL is one of the more hip gopher sites, populated with electronic magazines and interesting musical lists. University of Michigan (FTP to archive.umich.edu): An archive of games and software. IUMA (use Mosaic to go to http://sunsite.unc.edu): The Internet Underground Music Archive site links “alternative” music labels and showcases their bands through video and sound samples.

Education Home education (send e-mail to home-ed@think.com): Ask for a subscription and it will send you mail regarding the value of home education and discussing various techniques. Scholarships (telnet to fedix.fie.com): Site provides information on college scholarships available for various civic and ethnic groups. Internet training (FTP to ftp.quartz.rutgers.edu): Site provides how-to guides about the Internet that can be downloaded to your computer and printed out.

Government Federal jobs (send e-mail to fedjobs@dartcms1.dartmouth.edu): Ask for a subscription and it will regularly send you a list of federal jobs that are open. Library of Congress (use Gopher to burrow to marvel.loc.gov): A list of holdings at America’s pre-eminent library.

Business EDGAR (use Mosaic to go to http://town.hall.org/edgar): A site that allows you to view all documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Small Business Administration (useGopher to burrow to www.sbaonline.sba.gov): A list of small-business development aids. Internet Business Pages (FTP to ftp.msen.com): A listing of all the businesses doing business on the Internet.

2. GETTING ON-LINE 1. Buy a modem and hook up. 2. Get an Internet account. 3. Find the software. 4. Read the directions. 5. Enjoy.

3. LOCAL INTERNET ACCESS PROVIDERS Arias (509-536-9541); also offers local access to rural communities CompuTech (509-624-6798 or 208-762-3710); offers access to Spokane and North Idaho Cutting Edge Communications (509-927-9541) DMI Computers (208-664-1340); local access to both Spokane and North Idaho Eager Beaver (509-482-0394 or 208-769-7540) Information Mini-Mall (509-747-1732) Internet Connection (509-922-0417) Internet On-Ramp (509-624-7267) InterLink (509-465-1234) Netlink (208-769-7003); also offers local access to rural communities

NATIONAL ONLINE SERVICES America Online (800-827-6364) Compuserve (800-848-8199); Web access not available for Macintosh Prodigy (800-776-3449); Web access not available for Macintosh Microsoft Network (800-386-5550); Available only to computers with Windows 95 operating system