Personal Finance News Wednesday 10/17

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Easy Ways to Lower Your Internet Bill

By Farnoosh Torabi | Yahoo! Finance – Mon, Oct 15, 2012 12:36 PM EDT

Being without Internet access can be more than a little inconvenient. It can mean a harder time staying up on the news, doing research for work and school and, of course, applying for jobs.

If you’re paying through the nose for Internet, or avoiding it altogether because of the cost, here are some basic strategies to get broadband for less — maybe even for free.

Dial Up

If you’re among the millions of Americans struggling to pay your monthly Internet bill, did you know that you can dial up for basically nothing? By doing a search for “free internet dial up” along with your city and state, you’ll find a number of options for free access numbers. It’s an old technology but a perfect option for low-volume surfing with no monthly fee or special software, plug-ins or spyware. Or sign up with Juno or NetZero to get up to 10 hours of free Internet time per month. If you need more hours, they have plans starting at $10 per month.

Sign Up For Low-Cost Programs

If you can’t bear the slow speed of free dial up, some of the country’s largest cable television companies and the FCC have banded together to bring low-cost, high-speed internet to low-income Americans. Depending on where you live, the three primary, competing low-cost Internet access programs are Connect2Compete, Comcast’s Internet Essentials and CenturyLink’s Internet Basics.

“Kiplinger’s research has found that you can get broad-band Internet service for as little as $10 a month if you qualify,” says Janet Bodnar of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. “How do you qualify? Perhaps your children are eligible for the school lunch program or you’re eligible for other types of government support programs.” Bodnar says you may, in fact, even be eligible for a $150 subsidy toward a computer or free Internet and computer training. Check out CheapInternet.com for guidelines and to find the best low-cost options in your area.

To read the entire article from Farnoosh Torabi | Yahoo! Finance:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/easy-ways-to-lower-your-internet-bill.html

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