Unfortunately, netcom's nearest point-of-presence is a $.10/minute nighttime long distance call away from me. So this "free" service would cost me about $6/hour. There are several services which provide access via packet-switching networks which have hundreds of POP's, including some local to me. Two of these networks are Sprintnet and Compuserve's network (which is separate from the Compuserve service itself). These networks charge $2-$3/hour off-prime, so they are a better deal. But the carrying capacity of these networks seems somewhat limited, and you don't get the full throughput of your baud rate. There are resources available on the net, the "pdial" and "nixpub" lists, which provide lists of service providers for Internet access. I don't have access information handy.... Well, I just grabbed some info. Here is an excerpt from alt.internet.services FAQ:
*** 3.1: WHERE CAN I GET INTERNET ACCESS IN MY AREA? Check out PDIAL, a list of public access service providers offering dialup access to Internet connections. PDIAL lists both free and pay services all around the world. The PDIAL list is posted semi-regularly to alt.internet.access.wanted, alt.bbs.lists, ba.internet, and news.answers.
To receive PDIAL via e-mail, send mail with a subject line of "Send PDIAL" to "info-deli-server@netcom.com". To receive future editions as they are published, send email with the subject "Subscribe PDIAL" to the same address. The most recent PDIAL is also available by sending mail with a message body of "send usenet/news.answers/pdial" to "mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu". To get PDIAL via FTP: ftp.netcom.com:/pub/info-deli/public-access/pdial rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/alt.internet.access.wanted/P_D_I_A_L_(P)
For more information about service providers and getting on the Internet, read "FYI: Searching for Treasure" (FTP info at the end of this document.)
Another list of service providers, and tips on getting Internet access, is provided in the "alt.bbs.internet" FAQ, available via FTP as rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/inet-bbs-faq.Z
Access provider information from the book "Internet: Getting Started," (detailed in the final section of this document) is available via anonymous FTP as ftp.nisc.sri.com:/netinfo/internet-access-providers-us.txt ftp.nisc.sri.com:/netinfo/internet-access-providers-non-us.txt
If you are a college student or faculty, check with your campus computer center to learn about the online facilities available to you. Many schools offer free accounts to students and staff.
Next, turn to the Usenet community for assistance. Find out if there is a local newsgroup for your area or state. For instance, Columbus, Ohio users can check on the "oh.general" and "cmh.general" newsgroups. Many other areas have regional newsgroups. Ask the locals questions about the area - who better to know the answers?
If all else fails, post your plea on the Usenet newsgroup "alt.internet.access.wanted". Note that such requests aren't looked kindly upon if posted elsewhere.
*** 3.2: I NEED A BBS (ON THE INTERNET OR IN MY AREA)! This is covered extensively in the "alt.bbs.internet" FAQ, available on the Usenet group "alt.bbs.internet" or via FTP as rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/news.answers/inet-bbs-faq.Z
Also look for information on the Usenet newsgroups "alt.internet.access.wanted" and "alt.internet.services". Get the PDIAL list, mentioned at the end of this document.
Also available is NIXPUB, a listing of over 100 free and pay-for-play accessible systems. It is posted regularly to the Usenet newsgroups "comp.misc", "comp.bbs.misc", and "alt.bbs". Retrieval information near the end of this document.
Also, for BBS information for your area code or specific interest, FTP to: wuarchive.wustl.edu:/mirrors/msdos/bbslists
I check these lists every so often, hoping to find cheaper access, but still no luck. But I agree with Graham Toal that a much better setup would be smarter software on my home PC, with an intelligent protocol for communication with the net service provider. I wouldn't care if it was UUCP, POP, SLIP, or whatever, at this point; it's probably better than semi-automated ZMODEM. I hope that these facilities become more widely available at a price of around $20-$30 a month or less. Paying hundreds of dollars a month for these capabilities is far beyond my budget. I can't understand why England is so far ahead of the U.S. in this regard. No offense intended, but I always thought of their telecommunications and computing infrastructure as being several years behind the U.S. Hal