Why are some cheap, legal ways to get internet?

[DaDude]

I'm really tired of spending $50 a month on cable internet, especially since it has so many problems and have to deal with occasions when I can't use internet due to the cable company having problems. I think DSL is also the same price, but I'm not 100% sure. I can't use satellite either because my co-op doesn't allow us to mount dishes on the outside of the building. And I think satellite is expensive too.

So, are there any cheap, LEGAL alternatives out there? I remember during the dial-up days, I would never pay more than $20 a month for internet and I would never encounter any problems like internet not working. But ever since dial-up became obsolete and I was forced to switch to cable, the bill went up and so did the problems.

[XerXis]

without knowing the region you live in I don't think anyone will be able to help you. By the way, in the dial up days I payed the equivalent of 1 euro for a bread, now it's two euros. Inflation sucks ;)

[+LogicalApex MVC]

Why are some cheap? I have no idea why some are cheap...

In all fairness, you can try NetZero. They are still around. The quality of service varies widely by area so I would check out www.dslreports.com myself.

[dead.cell]

Why are?

Serious answer: friend of mine lives on her own, doesn't have internet at all. Goes to the local library at the university she goes to in order to use the internet. It's actually not a bad idea, unless you hate the library or traveling just for internet. Also saves you money on your electric bill as well. Also, local hotspots and such obviously.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

It's difficult to find cheap internet access which is reliable service. If you pay $50 a month and your service is unreliable it sounds like you just need to switch to a different provider, as you're paying a reasonable amount there.

[a.mcdear]

I go with Cox cable here in Phoenix AZ. I pay ~$75/mo, speeds I get are typically 30Mbps down and 15-20Mbps up.

[Ambroos]

Tried looking into LTE? The speeds in the US seem to be quite okay for surfing and even downloading. Online gaming might get hard though.

Or move to one of the Kansases and get Google Fiber :p

[pes2013]

http://www.dslreports.com

You can pretty much find all the information there :)

[remixedcat]

can't you just ask the neighbors to share thier wifi and you can pay them half of it or less... some will... also if you get them an AMPED WIRELESS!!!!! router or access point they would gladly share with you since both of you will have HARDCORE COVERAAAGE!!!!! give this a try!

[Dot Matrix]

You can pay $5 /mo. for AOL dial-up. :rofl: