on servers run by IBM's VNET division. This solution quickly proved to be slow and confusing to members, so Mahoney set up a separate division of the company that same year to provide dialup access via both shell accounts and Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). Unlike the BBS, ExecPC Internet provided service exclusively to individuals in Wisconsin and northern Illinois. ExecPC Internet proved to be tremendously popular, and grew from its first paying subscribers in 1994 to just over 80,000 subscribers in 1998. As it grew, the company added business-class access services such as ISDN and T1 lines, as well as web hosting service. Mergers and acquisitions In September, 1998, Mahoney sold ExecPC to East Lansing, MI-based Voyager.net. Voyager.net was purchased by CoreComm Ltd. in October, 2000, who then, through other acquisitions, became ATX Communications in 2004. In December, 2005, ATX Communications sold the remaining ExecPC assets and customer base to LocalNet of Buffalo, NY, the current operators. LocalNet LocalNet Internet Services, Inc. begun in Buffalo, New York, sells dial-up Internet access, web hosting services and Digital subscriber line Internet access. References External links Current home page for ExecPC Internet subscribers Wired article on ExecPC Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article Bulletin board systems