This guide contains:

Background on broadband isp service
Broadband isp options
How to find the best broadband isp for you

This independent guide was created to help you understand the basics of broadband isp service and to help you choose the right broadband isp provider for you. We do not sell any broadband services ourselves, so you can be confident that all of the information in this guide is independent and unbiased.

Background on broadband isp service
Broadband' refers to any type of Internet access that is faster than 56K dialup, which is known as narrowband'. There are several types of broadband Internet access, and here is a description of each type of broadband Internet access:

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line)
DSL has actually been around for decades, and it is one of the most common types of broadband Internet access in use today. DSL broadband is continually growing as DSL providers continue to expand their networks.

DSL works by transmitting a digital signal over a traditional phone line, and it comes in a couple different flavors and bandwidths. The minimum bandwidth for DSL is 128K and it can go up to 1.1M and above. The main types of DSL are:

- ADSL (the 'A' refers to 'asymmetric', which just means that the upload and download speeds are different),

- SDSL (the 'S' refers to 'symmetric', which just means that the upload and download speeds are the same), and

- IDSL, which utilizes the older ISDN technology to deliver the DSL.

The main limitation to DSL is that it its performance is limited by the distance between your home and the network's DSL equipment. The closer you are to the DSL equipment, the higher the bandwidth you can expect. It is entirely possible to live in a heavily populated area that does have DSL, but you might not be able to get DSL because your home happens to be a block or so too far away from the local DSL equipment. The good news is that DSL providers are still expanding their networks to new markets, and are always working on new technology to expand coverage in the markets where DSL already exists. In addition, market competition continues to drive the cost of DSL lower and lower- even lower than some dialup isps.