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Always-On Internet For Cheapskates?
chuck writes "I like my broadband Internet access because of its always-on nature, but my usage doesn't really justify paying $40-$50 each month for hundreds of kb/s when all I really do is read and write email sporadically, light web browsing and IM. Are there any options for cheapskates like me to pay less for lower bandwidth (modem speeds would be fine) but still have an always-on connection for cheaper than cable or DSL? I have a $5/mo ISP that I use when I'm out and about, and my 2.5G wireless phone can give me internet access on a shoestring (with free evenings and weekends) but neither of those has that always-on quality. Any ideas?"
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See if speakeasy has service in your area. They encourage sharing of connections, especially with wifi. They will help you set up line sharing with neighbors (or tell you if you have a neighbor that's already doing this). They'll help you set it up and take care of the billing for you. Depending on the actual speed you need, you could share one DSL line among N people, and each would pay 1/N of the monthly bill. It would all be open and legal.
They also don't block any ports, so you could run an email server on your own machine if you like. For that matter, you could run your own web server, making it easy to share your pictures with friends. I've done a lot of this, just sending a URL so they can browse the thumbnails and download any pics they like.
Are there other ISPs that encourage this? You'd think they all would, if they were actually interested in giving good service to their customers.
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