the Cost of DSL Internet Access

My husband and I decided it was time to trim some fat from our family budget. We had been spending about $90 to $100 a month on cable internet and television service. We only watched one channel on the cable, and no internet was worth $90. We checked out some alternative internet providers and finally decided to go with the DSL service provided by our local telephone company.

I phoned the telephone company and got everything set up. My username and password were chosen and my initial email address was set up. It took about a week to get the DSL service activated. Our modem arrived the day before the service was turned on, and was very easily installed.

Our first bill was just under $100. This covered the modem, the activation fees and the first month's service, as well as our monthly telephone charges. The next month, we received our first regular bill of just under $50. This was for telephone service and DSL. $30 of that was for the internet service. We also received in the mail a $50 rebate in the form of a gift card which we used to pay that bill.

The internet service also includes 24-hour technical support at no additional charge.

The sales representative was very informative and helpful. She answered my questions and explained how to install the modem once it arrived. She also made sure that I had the telephone number for tech support.

I was away when the field tech came to do the DSL installation at the telephone switch box. He phoned me on my cell, confirmed that the house phone was working properly and just let me know that he was leaving a card with his phone number in case I needed anything or had any questions. When I arrived back home, my computer was online and I have been happily surfing since.

Be sure to shop around. Some internet providers provide more than others. Beware of hidden costs. What might seem like a deal that is too good to be true, probably IS too good to be true.