Connecting (a Network) to the Internet
Step 2: Internet Service Providers
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) is simply a company that allows you
access to the Internet 
. They
typically do this by providing you with a user id and password in exchange
for a small monthly fee. ISPs
can also provide access for small companies; larger companies usually
have their own computers that are connected directly to the Internet.
Who can be an ISP?
- a private company
- your cable company
- your satellite company
- your telephone company
To begin, you contact an ISP and after you pay, they will give you step by step directions on how to set up your account.
The difficult part is that you kind of need to know what kind of connection you want before you contact your ISP, because the connection type will affect who you contact for service. Learn about Connection Types.
If you are connecting from your office, the story is a bit different, and you do not need to contact the ISP as your company will already have an account set up for you on it's LAN.
You can connect to the Internet in a variety of ways. How? >>