Could someone recommend good internet providers in the greater Philadelphia area?
My sister-in-law just moved home to Warminster (Bucks County) and needs to get set up. She’s leaning towards earthlink but isn’t sure what’s best, and I’m not sure either.
Her needs are minimal – primarily email – at the moment. Suggestions?
Maybe a separate question (pardon my ignorance), but in the medium term she’s thinking of Skype or something, to communicate with her fiancé in England. I know nothing about this. Do you?
If she only needs e-mail, try NetZero or some other national service. The only reason to get something “Philly-based” (e.g., Comcast cable modem, Cavtel DSL, etc) would be for hi-speed/broadband access.
If you are close enough for DSL, then I recommend Cavalier. The price is pretty good, $50 for phone and DSL. The speed can be excellent. They have a dialup/phone package that is about $35 a month.
If you are considering DSL or other high-speed, you need to figure out how far you are from a Verizon central office. A couple of friends in Warminster are so far that they cannot get DSL or the distance makes it really slow.
If that is the case for you, then you are kind of stuck with Comcast or Verizon FIOS, once they roll it out to the area. I believe Verizon is coming to Warminster, but I don’t know when they will have the area wired for it.