DSL Access - You Need To Do Your Homework
Most parts of the country that have phone service also offer some levels of DSL access. The prices can vary widely, depending on how many companies are offering DSL in your region, and how fierce the competition for new customers is. If the only way for you to access DSL (digital subscriber line) in your area is to sign up with your local phone company, then prices will be higher than if other companies have entered the market.
Even if DSL is offered in your area, it's possible that your specific location will not have access. To get hooked up to the web through DSL , you must be located within a certain distance of the phone company main office. This distance can vary from provider to provider. Additionally, your phone service must be delivered over copper cables.
There are a number of different types of DSL that may be offered to subscribers in your area. The most common is ASDL. The A stands for asymmetric. This service offers faster download speeds, and slower uploads. Most people find this sufficient, as they will normally spend more time downloading from the internet than uploading. Another, less common, type of service is SDSL, which, as you might expect, stands for Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line, and which offers upload and download capabilities at the same speed.
Additionally, companies offering DSL usually offer a number of different packages to customers, starting in lower price ranges with slower connections, and then advancing in price as connection speed increases. You may find some very good deals advertised widely, but be sure to read the fine print, as the lowest-priced offers usually require a contract. There may also be some other not-so-obvious stipulations included. There are a number of Websites that offer listings of various DSL providers. You can check these listings out to see what's offered in your area. A couple of the sites are:
http://dsl-providers.nettop20.com/
and
http://www.google.com/Top/Computers/Internet/Access_Providers/DSL/ There also are sites that will allow you to enter your area code or phone number, and then provide listings of all the companies who offer DSL access in your area. One of those sites is located at
http://reviews.cnet.com/Internet_access/2001-6536_7-0.html You also may wish to consider cable broadband internet access. While the cheapest DSL packages have till recently been less costly than cable, this has changed to some degree lately. Some cable companies, previously content to compete on superior speed, now offer less expensive lower speed deals that can at times compete favorably with DSL on price. You'll have to do your homework and check out all the options if you really want to be happy with your final choice, be it cable or DSL access.
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