An Internet service provider (called an ISP for short) is a business that offers users access to the Internet and related services. Many ISPs are telephone companies, or at least work closely with telephone companies. They provide dial-up or DSL access through “leased" lines. Generally, an ISP charges a monthly access fee to the consumer. If the ISP is the same company as your phone, then the charge will often times arrive with your phone bill. The consumer then has access to the Internet.

Internet connection speed can generally be divided into two categories: dialup and broadband. Dialup connections require the use of a phone line, and usually have connections of 56 kbit/s or less (i.e. very slow). Broadband connections have a much larger series of options that don’t tie up the phone, and theoretically, is always on and available. General speeds vary from 64 Kb to 20 Mb per second or even more.

The history of Internet Service Providers is tied directly to the development of the internet itself. While its obvious that ISPs wouldn’t exist without the internet, the modern day internet could very well not exist in its current form without ISPs to make the internet as popular as it is now. At first there were mainly a few large giants, but as the technology advanced, more and more small companies began to rise up, usually by offering good deals on local service. By the 2000s, the battle over broadband began to appear. DSL, which was over phone lines, was an option for traditional ISPs. Cable companies jumped into the ISP game by offering the “new and improved" cable modem access. Pricing, technology, and market share drove the Internet economy. Smaller ISPs, however, did not have access to a cable system and DSL was too expensive. The only way to adjust and compete was to begin using wireless technology to provide broadband access. These developments led to the advancement of the wireless technology that are used today.

Smaller ISPs offering low-cost internet have served traditional ISPs a major challenge. Popularity of the Internet continued to rise, but the companies providing the services struggled. Many of the small ISPs fared better, since they operated on revenues and not overinflated stocks. Despite the rough times, there are still hundreds of ISPs in the United States alone, and websites dedicated to showing the best deal for each area. For many people, the smaller ones offering local service are the way to go.