@SIA_Sorry_I_Asked (SIA - Sorry I Asked) posted a new topic, subject "With Freewwweb and WorldSpy gone, are there any free ISP's without ad bars?". It read:

   I keep running into this one on lists, but it has no local numbers for me.
    
    ** http://1nol.myway.com/features/home/default.asp 1NationOnLine**
    
    Are there any others?

So @ubermensch (ubermensch) replied

    you didn't hear it from me, but with some of the ‘free' isps, what you do is set up a Dial Up Networking icon with the local number they give you. use that instead of the program.  
    that would probably violate the TOS of the free ISP…but knowledge wants to be free…
    
    if any moderator has any problems with this info…feel free to delete it.

To which @barflyer (barflyer) replied

    I don't think that would work.  
    The number they usually put into the Dial-up area is 123-456-7890 or 1-999-999-99999

To which @ubermensch (ubermensch) replied

    trust me…it works. with at least one free isp, who shall remain nameless. 50,666 or 52,000 connections. just find the local number. usually they'll give you list of local numbers, you choose one that isn't long distance. write it down. sign up for the service. it may create a DUN already, but their program runs the ads. usually the login name is your email with them, if they give you one, and the password is your password. if it doesn't create a DUN, or makes one not in standard DUN form, make one. takes 5 minutes, at most.

Then @handy (handy) said

    freeinternet.com ?
    
    You can use your Dreamcast to logon for free there. If you don't want banners, use a banner sniper.

So @cmkeller (cmkeller) replied

    I use freeatlast.com. It doesn't have an ad bar, it has occasional pop-up windows, easily closeable, and they're not so bad. There are times I've been connected for hours without seeing one, although there have also been times I've seen four or five in an hour.
    
    Never had any problems connecting.

@Kaitlin (Kaitlin) replied

    Sometimes you need a “spy” program to find out the actual username and password to plug into your DUN.
    
    No ads . . . no timers.
    
    I wonder if it's unethical to do that when you never are interested in the ads the ISP shows, anyway. I don't think I've ever clicked unless the program threatened to log me off.

Then @Meephead (Meephead) said

    Try http://www.freedsl.com
    
    If you have DSL available in your area, they have slower DSL connections available for free, and faster ones at very reasonable prices ($19.95/month for a 384K connection). If DSL is NOT available in your area, they offer free dialup. Either way it is just a tiny toolbar that is on the screen at all times. I resized mine so that it is about 1/15th the size of the one that Netzero offers. Service has been good and connection speeds are good on the dialup version. As soon as DSL is available to me, I will be using that service instead, though. Previously, I used Freewwweb and Worldspy. I miss those guys.

After which, @Under_the_Night_Sky (Under the Night Sky) added

    I'm using **1NationOnLine** now, and it IS ad free.
    
    They log you onto their portal first, but leave “home” at whatever you set it to.
    
    You can even ditch the initial portal by creating a destop shortcut to your home page and clicking that instead of the IE shortcut to start.
    
    The only problem is they drop you for time-outs with no warning at all, which has caught me just as I send a long post.
    
    They say they are adding new area codes daily, so check back for yours.

To which @Louie (Louie) replied

    If you go to http://www.internet4free.net/ they give a list of all available free internet access in your area. They even tell you if the services has banner ads or not.

After which, @SIA_Sorry_I_Asked (SIA - Sorry I Asked) added

    Thanks for the tip. I checked back, and while **1NationOnLine **doesn't support my area code, they do have one number in the neighboring area code I can dial toll free.
    
    > *Originally posted by ubermensch *  
    >  **trust me…it works. with at least one free isp, who shall remain nameless. 50,666 or 52,000 connections. just find the local number. usually they'll give you list of local numbers, you choose one that isn't long distance. write it down. sign up for the service. it may create a DUN already, but their program runs the ads. usually the login name is your email with them, if they give you one, and the password is your password. if it doesn't create a DUN, or makes one not in standard DUN form, make one. takes 5 minutes, at most. **
    
    I tried that, with 1NOL at least, and it didn't work. They did something to modify my password before dialing. My password was 5 digits and theirs was 8.
    
    But since it's available without ANY ads, the way **Under the Night Sky** said, using a desktop shortcut, I don't have to search further.
    
    I AM SAVING all the sites listed above, since Juno seems to be swallowing free sites as soon as they appear. I guess that's how free sites ultimately make money: get to be big enough somone want to pay to see you gone.

To which @barflyer (barflyer) replied

    I got it to work with **1NOL** just now. I just changed the dial-up number and let the password they had used ride. I don't really care what they changed it to.
    
    Then I tried it with a couple of other sites, such as **Handy** 's Freei.com/FreeInternet.com, with good results.
    
    Freei is good about not knocking you off too fast, so you might want to add it to your stable of backups.

@handy (handy) replied

    YOu know the video game system the Dreamcast? [You can get it for $100 to $150 after rebate until Sept 1] It comes with an Internet access cd & modem. You can access the net with it with the free ISPs if you tinker a little. Yep, a cheap internet computer setup…


{'source': 'discourse', 'url': 'https://boards.straightdope.com/t/with-freewwweb-and-worldspy-gone-are-there-any-free-isps-without-ad-bars/29702', 'title': "With Freewwweb and WorldSpy gone, are there any free ISP's without ad bars?", 'views': 862, 'has_accepted_answer': False, 'word_count': 980, 'like_count': 0, 'reply_count': 12, 'participant_count': 9, 'posts': 13, 'tags': '', 'author': '@SIA_Sorry_I_Asked (SIA - Sorry I Asked)', 'participants': '@SIA_Sorry_I_Asked (SIA - Sorry I Asked), @ubermensch (ubermensch), @barflyer (barflyer), @handy (handy), @cmkeller (cmkeller), @Kaitlin (Kaitlin), @Meephead (Meephead), @Under_the_Night_Sky (Under the Night Sky), @Louie (Louie)', 'image_url': [None], 'created_at': '2000-08-17T07:56:39.000Z', 'last_posted_at': '2000-08-21T14:50:19.000Z'}