http://Comcast.net, owned by the Comcast Corporation which is the largest cable tv company and second largest internet service provider in the USA, was hacked for several hours last Wednesday, May 29. The hackers left a cryptic message on the site saying that they had “RoXed” Comcast. Spokeswoman of Comcast, Jennifer Khoury, stated late Thursday morning that the problem was solved but some Comcast users were still unable to access their accounts. Khoury explained that the hackers seem to have seized control of the http://Comcast.net domain name at registrar network solutions and had it redirected to other servers.

A small scale broadband internet service provider targeting a single subdivision or neighborhood is the Neighborhood Internet Service Providers (NISP). Often using rooftop antennas, they are built to provide internet to residents in the community.

It is advantageous as it can easily cost less than the traditional DSL and cable lines with a right number of subscribers. To monitor the quality of service and maintain network integrity, a local network engineer is needed.

Second level ISP is a type of anonymous internet access providers which gives a secure and anonymous internet access using two main technologies: Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and SSH tunnel or port forwarding.

Since most ISPS now log all incoming and outgoing data including upload and downloads, email and files transferred and even passwords, some deemed it as violating the right to privacy. Some of the personal privacy reasons are: to access anonymously financial institutions and online casinos, to bypass any kind of internet censorship and to anonymize internet activities. Meanwhile, business reasons are: to have an all-in-one secure remote access to the company’s computers, protect employees while on travel and protect the company from government intrusions or competitors.

With anything that is good comes the bad side and prepaid internet is no exception. Here is a list of the disadvantages of prepaid internet:

1. It is slow and not up to par with broadband or dsl connection. Its standard dial-up speed is only 56kbps making it painfully slow to view images or stream music or videos.

2. When you run out of prepaid internet, you need to buy another card or recharge your account or else you will not be able to continue with whatever you are doing. This is hard especially if there is only little time left in a file you are downloading.

3. Forgetting or losing your access number is another big problem. Once it is gone, you will not be able to use the card anymore.

4. It is not economical if you are a heavy internet user. A montly plan is more advisable than using prepaid cards.

Now that you know what prepaid internet is, here is a list of its advantages:

1.) Prepaid internet is most suited for a light internet user – one who occasionally just logs in to check the email or the weather.

2.) It is also helpful for travelers as all you need is a phone line to access the internet. Wherever you may be, you can easily access the internet.

3.) It is also good for people with credit problems as you get to monitor and budget how much you will spend on minutes to surf the internet.

4.) Last but not the least, it is a good way for parents to monitor and control the internet usage of their child.