So you're thinking of getting Broadband? Before you sign up I would ask you to think very carefully over which ISP you go with. Unfortunately too many people sign up with ISPs without thinking things through and looking at the full options available.

They may opt for what may seem the simplest option by going with one of the large ISPs because of what may seem a good offer advertising "unlimited", and then find themselves locked into a 12 month contract with unsatisfactory service, and a service that isnt really unlimited.

Don't be tempted to go with an ISP simply because they are offering a free modem etc, there is way more to it than this. Look at total cost of ownership, the services they offer and the customer service record.

Check any caps or Fair Usage Policies (FUPs) carefully. Some ISPs FUPs may only apply during Peak time periods. - Dont believe all the "Unlimited Downloads" hype that you may see advertised on some sites. Look carefully at the Terms and Conditions.
A few ISPs such as Tiscali and TalkTalk claim unlimited downloads, but will throttle speeds or block p2p ports. Check out my ISP caps page which lists the situation at many ISPs.

In the current climate bandwidth costs and BTw fees aren't cheap, therefore IPStream ISPs simply can't afford to offer true unlimited downloads. If it looks too good to be true - then it probably is.

Some pointers to look at:-

• Customer Service ~ Premium rate call numbers - Some ISPs charge 50p - £1 per min. 0845 numbers indicate "lo-call" rates which are normally 1p per min off peak 4p peak.

• Customer Support ~ What is their record like? ~ Hours of availablility - Is 24/7 support important to you or are you ok with just "Office Hours"?

• E-mail ~ Unlimited pop-3 addresses - if you have more than one family member then you are likely to need more than 1 e-mail box ~ Webmail facilities.

• Webspace ~ How much space? ~ CGI scripting ~ Bandwidth.

• Static/Dynamic IP ~ Many ISPs charge extra for Static ISPs.

• Networking ~ Some ISPs do not support networked PCs.

• Capping/FUPs ~ Check the small print carefully. Check out throttling and network performance.

• Contract ~ Length of contract ~ What happens if you have a problem.

• P2P ~ Some ISPs are more strict on others as regards from using peer to peer applications such as Kazaa.

How I chose my ISP