By Daniel Tynan
(2/25/02)

Surf globally, access locally
You've finally had it with the lousy service and tech-support runaround from Big-Honkin'-National-ISP.com; you want an ISP that will give you a little more tender loving care. You're not alone. Many Netizens are discovering that smaller can be better.

Take Marianna Marino. She's tried plenty of big providers over the years: Mindspring (now part of EarthLink), Pacific Bell, and XO. But she finally found what she needed in Silicon Valley North (SVN), a small ISP based in Petaluma, California.

"Everyone complains about their ISPs, but I've never heard anyone say anything bad about SVN," says Marino, who heads a high-tech public relations boutique in San Francisco. "They've never had an unscheduled outage--ever--in four years. It's unbelievable."

Support the little guys
A lot of people switch to a local provider because the customer service is generally more responsive. When Marino sends an e-mail message to SVN, she gets an instant response--even at 9 p.m. That's because smaller outfits literally can't afford to keep their customers waiting.

"We don't have any admin people or receptionists," says SVN president Scott Nader. "All of our employees do tech support. When our phone rings, it's picked up by someone who can solve your problem for you."

This kind of royal treatment must cost a bundle, right? Nope: SVN charges a mere $15 a month for unlimited dial-up access, the same as when it opened its doors five and a half years ago. (The company also offers powerful business services: high-speed wireless and business DSL.) Compare that to AOL, which recently raised its price from $21.95 to $23.90 a month, and most other national ISPs, such as EarthLink, whose monthly fees have inched up to $20 in the past few years.

Paying your dos and don'ts
So, how do you find a local provider? Scope out your options with CNET's trusty ISP finder, which lists both national and local ISPs. If you can't find what you're looking for there, consult the local Yellow Pages under Internet Services. (For more sage advice on finding the right ISP, see my "Surfers can be choosers" feature.)

Be careful, though. I've run into my share of unsavory small ISPs; some services charge you for access and never deliver it; others hit you up for a year's worth of fees, then fold up their tents and disappear. And you can't tell the good eggs from the rotten apples by looking at their Web sites. So, as you shop, keep these rules in mind.

• Do ask for references from the ISP's other customers, especially if you're shopping for access for your business.
• Don't go anywhere near an ISP that doesn't post a phone number or a real street address (not a P.O. box) on its site. The lack of contact info doesn't automatically mean that the ISP is crooked, but why take the chance?
• Do follow the 5 and 5 rule: look for a provider that's been in business at least 5 years, located within 5 miles of your house. (OK, maybe 10 miles). A business with an established track record is less likely to disappear overnight. And if you need to speak to someone in person, you want to make it an easy drive from home.
• Don't shop based on price alone. A cheap ISP is no good to you if it's unreliable or unreachable. Ask other customers about the provider's reliability and service, either using the referrals the service provides or via newsgroups such as alt.internet.access.wanted.
• Do ask what else it can offer. Many local ISPs also provide Web hosting, site design, and even IT and network support.
• Don't pay cash. Use your credit card; if you get ripped off, you'll have documentation and a sure-fire way to get your money back.
• Do look for an ISP that offers broadband. You may not need it now, but if you decide to upgrade later, you won't have to deal with changing providers.

Q: Every time I install a new version of AOL, it automatically installs in a new directory on the hard disk. Why doesn't it just upgrade the software in the original directory?

- Frustrated in Fremont

Dear Frustrated:

Short answer? I don't know. For reasons only God and Steve Case understand, AOL automatically installs itself in a spanking-new directory on your PC. (Mac users, however, won't have this problem.) But you can install it over an older version if you're really determined. When the install utility asks you where to put the new software, simply type the name of your old folder. (You can't just click the name of the old folder; AOL will stash the new version in a subfolder.) Or you can accept the default folder, then go back and use AOL's secret uninstall utility to remove the old stuff. Look in your AOL directory for a shortcut called Uninstall. Double-clicking it launches an applet that removes all the old AOL software on your disk. But make sure you use this utility after you install the new version, or you could lose all your old settings. I recently got rid of two old AOL directories on my mother-in-law's PC, freeing up 200MB of space (and earning me major points with Mom).

Read the previous Inside @ccess columns