Unlimited Internet Service

Many ISPs offer "unlimited" Internet service in their marketing materials and web sites.  If you attempted to stay connected continuously for a month, you can be assured that you would have your service disconnected. This is because their "unlimited" service comes with limits.

Unlimited dialup Internet service for under $40 per month is fiction

"Dedicated" dialup service allows you to be connected as much as you want and download as much as possible within the technological limits of your connection speed.  "Dedicated" service is truly "unlimited," but expect to pay $50 to $90 per month for the privilege.

Limits to dialup service are common to all service providers.  Unlimited is often qualified as "unlimited attended access" or "you must be actively using the connection." Expressed limits usually fall into these categories:

• Hours per month:  Sometimes a specific limit, sometimes an unwritten "reasonable" limit. Watch out for an overage charge.  
• Hours per session:  It's common for a single dialup session to be limited to a specific number of hours.  Exceed it and you are disconnected automatically. 
• Idle timeout:  Don't click on anything for five or ten minutes and you are disconnected.  Helpful if you forget to disconnect.  Not so helpful if you are writing a message that takes more than five minutes.
• Total transfer:  Sometimes a maximum transfer limit of 1 GB per month is imposed.

All ISPs that offer dialup service for less than $40 per month has one or more of these limits in place.  It's the only way of offering reasonable prices. 

Is it dishonest to offer unlimited service that's limited?

In advertising, it's acceptable to s t r e t c h the truth a bit.  Some stretch to the point of dishonesty.  The only way to get at the real limits imposed by your ISP is to read the Terms of Service.  Read some examples of misleading claims of "unlimited access."

These are the limits imposed by US Netizen (give us credit for being honest):

• 450 hours per month for all accounts.  No overage charge because you cannot connect once you reach this limit.  You must wait until the beginning of the next billing period for another allotment of hours.
• 5 hours per session.  Simply reconnect.
• 10 minute idle timeout at some locations. This is implemented for some of our access numbers, but we have not seen it actually cut anyone off.
• No specific maximum transfer.  Download as much as possible within the technological limits of your connection speed and hours.  Hey!  That's unlimited!

These aspects of US Netizen are unlimited:

• You can connect any time of day.
• You can connect as often as you like.
• You can connect from any of our access numbers. 
• You can connect from any number of your own computers as long as it's only one dialup session at a time.
• You can visit any site on the Internet.
• You can use any Instant Messaging software you like.
• You can use any POP3 e-mail client you like.

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