ISP Review: Verizon DSL

You might know Verizon as one of the country's biggest phone companies -- but it's also a major force in providing Internet access, with fast digital subscriber line ISP service.

DSL gives you always-on Internet access, so you don't tie up a phone line while you're online. And of course, your connection to the Internet is super fast, so browsing and downloading is a snap.

The major downside: You've got to use Verizon for your phone service to get their DSL service.

To convince you to switch to Verizon DSL, the Internet Service Provider kicks in a ton of useful add-ons. For starters, you nine email accounts and 10 megs of Web space each. Verizon DSL also gives you access to the Rhapsody Digital Music Service, so you can listen to thousands of music albums on your PC.

Verizon DSL also comes with a discounted version of Zone Alarm Pro, which is computer security software.

To sweeten the deal, Verizon also throws access to MSN's online service into the plan. MSN is Microsoft's rival to the America Online service, and provides much of the same sorts of exclusive content, news, downloads, streaming video and audio, and so on. That could be a plus if you want to help your family find fun things to do together on the Internet.

And it's with MSN Premium that you really get a lot of special features. For one thing, it offers a pop-up blocker, anti-spam email protection, anti-virus software, a firewall package (which prevents attacks on your computer -- a necessary precaution with always-connected PCs) and parental controls.

MSN Premium also includes MSN Messenger instant messaging and MSN Photo Swap, and access to the premium versions of MSN Money and other MSN areas.

You've got to love Verizon's competitive pricing on its digital subscriber line Internet service. The problem is, you've also got to be a Verizon subscriber to use it.

Verizon is one of the country's largest phone companies, so getting a hook-up shouldn't be a problem (as it sometimes can be, since DSL availability is still limited in some areas.) However, you might not be willing to change your phone company to get new DSL service unless you do some numbers-juggling on your own.

Great-ISP-Deals.com gives Verizon DSL... four stars! A great value!!