ISP Review: EarthLink High Speed Cable

EarthLink is probably better known for its dialup and DSL Internet access, but the company also is a major player in the world of cable ISPs. How does the service compare?

EarthLink High Speed Cable offers super-fast download speeds of up to 3 Mbps, and upload speeds of 384 Kbps -- that's faster than the speeds offered by most cable or DSL ISPs!

You also get two powerful tools for blocking spam and pop-up ads -- two of the Internet's most annoying features.

EarthLink also throws in 20 hours of free dialup access, so you can log onto your account and get online even when you are away from your home computer. (This feature is usually used when traveling with a modem-equipped laptop.)

With your High Speed Cable Internet service, you also get eight email addresses, each with 10 megs of free Web space.

Exactly how much you will pay for the Internet service isn't clear, however, since the price varies slightly depending on which cable provider you have. That's right, you need to go through your cable TV provider to get EarthLink High Speed Cable. It's not too much of a hassle, but it's still somewhat frustrating to know that if you are a Comcast subscriber, you will be paying a few bucks more each month than a Time Warner Cable user.

Aside from some of the pricing issues, EarthLink High Speed Cable is fast, efficient, and loaded with special features. It's also competitive on a price basis with all the other broadband Internet services -- which makes EarthLink High Speed Cable a great choice for an Internet service provider.

Granted, you don't get access to some of the exclusive content offered by AOL or MSN (through Verizon DSL). But on the other hand, you can save some money if you're not interested in those kinds of services, and the 20 hours of dialup access is always handy.

Great-ISP-Deals.com gives EarthLink Cable... three stars! A great value!!

• $41.95 to $45.95 per month, depending on cable provider (three- to six-month discounts available).
  
  Plus $50 set-up fee.