LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Internet: Internet Service Providers
built 644 days ago
The Internet is a great technology that can help you with most aspect of you life. You can find information on just about anything, do shopping online, get update to date news and entertainment, discover new things, meet people, and more. Macs have everything you need to get started to explore the Internet, all you need is an Internet Service Provider (aka ISP) account or access to an Internet-connected local area network (LAN).
Source:
Of at least as much interest as Internet's technical progress in the 1990s has been its sociological progress. It has already become part of the national vocabulary, and seems headed for even greater prominence. It has been accepted by the business community, with a resulting explosion of service providers, consultants, books, and TV coverage. It has given birth to the Free Software Movement.
Source:
Internet service providers (ISPs) provide Internet access to customers, usually for a monthly fee. A customer who subscribes to an ISP’s service uses the ISP’s network to access the Internet. Because ISPs offer their services to the general public, the networks they operate are known as public access networks. In the United States, as in many countries, ISPs are private companies; in countries where telephone service is a government-regulated monopoly, the government often controls ISPs.
Source:
Large corporations and institutions of higher learning have near-universal access to the Internet. For example, computer users at IU may access Internet services in several ways; depending on your campus, you may have access to the Internet via computers in the Student Technology Centers or other facilities on campus, via network connections in departmental offices or campus housing, or through a modem and IU's dial-in facilities. Home computer users may access the Internet though private or local Internet service providers (ISPs). These include international services such as America Online, CompuServe, or EarthLink. Smaller regional and local providers are ... available. In Bloomington, Indiana, these include BlueMarble, Insight cable, and Kiva.
Source:
Today, people can pay a fee to access the Internet from Internet Service Providers. Some services on the Internet cost nothing to use. Sometimes the people who run these free services use advertising to make money from them. The alternative name, "Net" came from "inter(net)".
Source:
If you don't already have access to the Internet, you'll need to establish service with an Internet Service Provider before you can get connected (some popular ISPs include AOL, EarthLink, and Comcast); then come back here for connection instructions. If you have access to a local area network (LAN) that has Internet access or signed up for broadband service (DSL or cable), go to step 2. If you're connecting wirelessly through AirPort, go to step 3. If you're using a built-in dial-up modem to connect, go to step 4.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Internet Service Providers