Free, Linux-compatible Dialup Internet Service Providers

[Leo Mauler]

I was asked this question on another list.  After a little poking around, I was surprised to learn that there were a few still in existence, albeit with some restrictions.  I'm going to pass on the information so that you can tell someone who needs dialup Internet access (such as on that older computer running Linux that you just gave them for free) but can't afford a monthly subscription service.

NOTE: There is one more ISP, JUNO/NETZERO, which offers 10 hours a month of Internet service for free, and has lots of local numbers nationwide, but they make you look at lots of ads and have a Windows-only client (and most people report that they add up your time so sneakily you rarely get 10 hours a month).

All of the options below are Linux-friendly free dialup ISPs.

> If you live in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 
> New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island or Southern 
> Florida, *OR* if you have unlimited long-distance 
> service on your phone line, there is a regional ISP 
> which offers free local dialup service (and thus 
> free dialup service outside their region if your 
> long-distance is unlimited).
>
> http://www.freedialup.org/site/
> 
> You register on their website to find out their list 
> of phone numbers, then dial into a server phone 
> number. The username is "your phone number", the 
> password can be anything at all (please pick a 
> non-offensive word).
>
> The service has two limitations: the ports for SMTP 
> (outgoing E-mail) and NNTP (usenet newsgroups) have 
> been blocked, so you will not be able to do either 
> one, even with a third-party service. All other 
> services, including POP3, are available. It is 
> suggested that you use web-based E-mail to do E-mail 
> with their service.
> 
> ========================
> 
> The Western Washington State region, including Seattle, 
> has its own free dialup ISP, and like the East Coast 
> free dialup ISP they don't mind if you call 
> long-distance (with your unlimited long-distance 
> service) to use their ISP:
>
> http://www.nocharge.com/connect.htm
>
> Like the East Coast free dialup ISP, the SMTP (outgoing 
> E-mail) port is blocked on their service, but otherwise 
> the Internet service is unfiltered. You can use their 
> Windows Dialer or your own dialup connection software 
> (thus this one is also good for Macintosh and Linux 
> users). The username and password are right there on 
> the page, and you don't even have to register on their 
> website to use their free dialup ISP.
>
> ========================
>
> If the problem is that you only use the Internet 
> occasionally and can't afford a monthly plan, but 
> might occasionally want to be able to use more than 
> 10 hours of Internet in a single month, "Budget 
> Dialup" is a company which offers prepaid Internet 
> service. On a Windows system, you can use their 
> software and get the first five hours free, but you 
> don't have to use their software to connect to their 
> dialup servers, meaning you can use other operating 
> systems like Mac OS or Linux.
>
> You buy a package of time, and then have a year in 
> which to use it. The current plans, for calling a 
> number local to you, are 10 hours for $5.95, 20 
> hours for $9.95, and 60 hours for $28.95. If you 
> don't do a lot of downloading, 20 hours will last 
> you for a month or two of browsing and E-mail. 
> Buying additional time will give you one more year 
> to use both the new time and any old time from 
> previous purchases.
>
> http://www.budgetdialup.com/