Internet Access Cost

How Much Does Internet Access Cost?

Dialup: $10-$12.50 a month

DSL: $20-$45 a month

Cable or Fiber Optic Broadband: $25-$145 a month

These days there are several options when purchasing Internet access at home. For those who prefer lower prices but don't mind slower speeds, dialup options via a telephone and computer modem are still available. But for people who desire faster download and upload speeds to watch streaming video and to surf the web more quickly, DSL (broadband Internet over the telephone line), cable (Internet through the cable television coaxial line) or fiber optic (digital data transmissions of light) offer broadband options for faster home Internet service.

Typical costs:

Though not as common as it once was over a decade ago, dialup Internet access does still exist and is a low-cost option for those who are looking for an inexpensive plan and only do not necessarily view multimedia content.
NetZero, Juno and EarthLink still offer these unlimited dialup services Internet for $10 to $12.50 per month.
DSL service from AT&T currently has three monthly high speed Internet plants at $35 (1.5 Mbps down/ 384 Kbps up), $40 (3.0 Mbps down/ 512 Kbps up) and $45 (6.0 Mbps down/ 768 Kbps up). These plans all assume that one does not have local home phone service from AT&T. Having home phone service and then adding on a new high speed Internet plan from AT&T can add $20 -$25 per month for the first year, then runs $20 -$40 per month depending on the speed. Not all plans are available in all areas.
Cable broadband Internet service from a company such as Comcast require that the customer be a current subscriber to either cable TV or their digital voice service in order to sign up for one of the Internet access plans. Cable broadband speeds tend to be faster than DSL and may cost more in some cases. The "Economy Internet Service" (1 Mbps down/ 384 Kbps up) costs $25/month. The next level "Performance" (12 Mbps down/ 2 Mbps up) is $43/month. Their "Blast!" speed tier (16 Mbps down/ 2 Mbps up) is $53 a month and the "Ultra" option (22 MBPs/ 5 Mbps up) comes in at $63 a month.
Fiber optic broadband is another option as the technology is fast becoming more and more prevalent in neighborhoods. These speeds are can be even faster than cable broadband. Verizon offers such a service and does not require home phone service. However, the price is $5 less on the plans if the customer does already have Verizon home phone. Their three plans come in at $55 a month (15 Mbps down/ 5 Mbps up), $70 a month (25 Mbps down/ 25 Mbps up) and $145 a month (50 Mbps down/ 20 Mbps up).

What should be included:

For faster broadband speeds, a wireless broadband router and a network cable to connect to the home computer may be included in the kit.
Often, there is additional packaged software such as antivirus, pop-up blockers or spam protection that have a limited free trial for a few months.

Additional costs:

For the broadband services, if the customer is able to do a self-installation, there is usually no charge. Technician installation can range from $50 -$80 (Comcast and Verizon) to $200 (AT&T).
Having the technician also set up the actual home network or do the computer connection can add $100.
For dialup Internet access, an internal PCI modem for the dialup option costs between $8 and $20. An external or USB modem can cost from $25 to up to $70.

Discounts:

For broadband services, there are often bundled services (Internet and cable TV, Internet and digital voice or Internet , etc.) that can bring down the total cost if a customer already has one of the services mentioned.
TIP: Broadband providers sometimes offer customer retention promotions. If the costs goes up after the promotional pricing is over, it doesn't hurt to call customer service and inquire about extending a promotion for customer loyalty.

Shopping for internet access:

Note that not all services and providers may be available in a particular geographical location. Most of the time, there will be at least two or three options available to a home computer user for Internet access. Service quality and speeds may also vary as well.

Article updated August 2010

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What People Are Paying - Recent Comments

Pretty happy with Comcast Cable Modem

Amount: $46.00

Posted by: PCGuyinCali in San Jose, CA.	Posted: December 13th, 2006 04:12PM
Provider: Comcast	Type of Connection: Cable modem
Speed: 2.3Mbps

Even though DSL was available at our home, I subscribed to the Cable Modem because I wanted the fastest thing possible. Right now, according to CNet's bandwidth test
(http://reviews.cnet.com/7004-7254_7-0.html), I'm getting 2.3Mbps, which is OK, but almost as slow as a good cable modem. We got an introductory rate of $14/month for 2 months, before it went up to $46/month. We also get standard cable from them; I don't know if this gives us a small discount on Internet access.