Thumbs Up: software is stable, among the most reliable services once connected, software will dial multiple access numbers until it connects

Thumbs Down: shows advertising window

Rating:

• AltaVista Free Access Overview
• User Reviews
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• AltaVista Free Access Website

AltaVista provides its Free Access service through 1stUp, which is owned by AltaVista's parent company, CMGI. AltaVista was one of the first of the major portals to jump into the free Internet access game, and the software has become better as it's been upgraded.

The prior version of Free Access required users to click on an ad or link in the ad window every so often to stay connected. The most recent upgrade to the software removed this annoying requirement.

1stUp has been getting better at providing better Internet connections. When I tried Free Access first, several months ago, the service was very slow during peak Internet usage periods. Recently, the service has gotten better. Along with the removal of the ad-click requirement, this places AltaVista's service among the top free ISP's, and earns it a 4 star rating