Does she have digital wireless phone capability?
A laptop?
If so, have her check with Verizon to see if she can get a wireless service adapter. I know they are available for laptops, not sure if they make them for PCs.
The monthly fee would be somewhere between $50-100.

Mallory, when we lived out in the boonies we could only get dial up for a long time. We had friends who also lived in the middle of nowhere and they were able to get RoadRunner. By the time we left the area At&T was offering fast speed dial up.
I thought Hughes Network was available anywhere. I don't know that for sure. I just remember seeing a commercial, but now that I think about it I remember them saying you had to have a clear southern vision, not blocked by trees or mountains etc.

Linda

She can "probably" get satellite internet.

I live in an area that is similar to her situation. I cannot get DSL, Cable or any other type of high speed internet - other than satellite. I have several choices, including Wild Blue/Dish Network and Hughes. The Wild Blue option (directly from Wild Blue) is the cheapest at $50 month plus setup fees. It is not a super fast connection at the $50 level. A fast download speed (512?), but I think the upload is only 128. Not worth the price in my opinion.

Most people cannot believe I cannot get any other service - but that is it. Only one ISP in the area other than satellite and they do not come out this far with DSL - I am only about a mile off the cut off point too...bummer!

I think you can get a wireless router to use with dialup - but it would be very slow. Is that what you are after - just so she can go on anywhere in the house? The speed will be the slow dialup speed though.

I also go to town to get on a fast connection when I want to upload pictures or download files.

Insane the prices these companies charge just because they can. Legal highway robbery. DSL through ATT I paid $24 a month. Paying $33 now to Comcast as a package deal for all three at $99.

Mallory...Comcast has also been offering that $99 bundle. read the fine print, you probably signed a contract for at least 1 year, probably 2...if you cancel, you owe them for the balance of the contract. Also look to see how long this inital price will hold...around here, they're guaranteeing the price for only 1 year.
They're offering this contract in order to lock consumers out of going with Verizon FIOS (a much more reliable and faster service).

My niece lives in a house near a McDonalds that has WiFi for its customers. She can use her laptop in certain parts of the house, it appears Wifi leaks out of McD's.

Jannie, you can use your neighbor's wireless in your house. Just the way wireless is. Can be dangerous too if you don't have firewalls.

Monica, you just don't know how much I dread to find out because I cannot go back to ATT. I switched to Comcast because I was planning to move and WOULD NOT be able to keep my number with ATT. Worst thing was I was planning to move around the corner. I got so angry I fired them LOL. Actually, I was more than upset, not being able to imagine going through another number change. They had botched the previous one from the year before. I didn't move as I planned, but still fired them.

Here in Nebraska several of the cellular phone places have high speed internet available where you hook your cell phone up to your computer. I might look into that.

Stacie

Regarding Comcast...they have offered the $99 special for more than 1 year now & it continues on. The $99 covers your cable (digital starter pkg), telephone (if you need a service such as LifeLine, be sure it's compatible) and 6mg internet service (basic high speed). For each cable package you add on, the fee goes up. For example, if you wish to add the Sports Network, that's an additional $5 per month in most areas. The Lifetime Channel is included with a package of channels and could be $16.95 per month additional. Digital starter is only a taste of digital. You get basic cable plus 3-4 digital channels and the music stations. For the internet, 6 mg service is a decent package unless you do a lot of heavy duty downloading, or play online games that are graphics intense. For checking your email and going to websites such as this, 6 is fine. 8mgs is a bit better but again, it's a few dollars more. The phone service is worth the $33 but you're dependent on the cable service for it. If the cable goes down, you have no landphone. There are no long distance charges in the US unless you're calling places like Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico. Of course if you call England, Australia or places between, get your cheque book ready.

If you sign up for one year, there is no contract. If you wish to go with the 2 yr package, there is a contract. If permission is obtained from your current phone carrier, you can keep your current phone number.

Things to consider: Once your modem is connected to the cable service, you don't need a username/password to connect to the internet. That means that anyone sitting at your computer can access the internet. You still need passwords to collect your emails, etc.

If you are not on a contract, there is no cancellation fee. Of course, if you call and tell them you wish to cancel, they have you speak with "Retentions" and they'll offer you the sun,the moon & all the stars to keep you. Just keep saying no.

Just one correction, Smilin. You don't need your phone company's permission. It's the law. Portability is granted when requested. Why the summary? Monica and I were only wondering if I'd get the same offer when my year is up. Thanx for info about the speed. Stupidos at Comcast weren't able to tell me. Still faster than DSL whatever it is. Can you help with the WIFI question?

We were in the same position for quite awhile, we were able to get satellite but it was slow and would go out during bad weather. I got a wireless adapter from Verizon, it was much faster at first, then it started going out all the time. We finally got DSL from AT&T last week. It's a lot cheaper and faster! AT&T had been telling us for 10 years it was coming, then they blamed the delay on 9/11....took them this many years to recover! Considering we are in TX not NY kinda makes you wonder.

Thanks for the correction Bestlawn. When I left the call center that I worked at about 6 wks ago, we were still instructed to advise the customers that permission was needed for the phone number to be transferred to Comcast. Another "CYA" thing I guess.
I don't know much about WI-FI. I know if you're in a "hot" zone you can get it. If you're not, you're out of luck. The larger communities have more hot spots, such as StarBucks, McDonalds, larger hotels, etc. If your neighbour has a wireless set up on his/her computer, you might get lucky, but you would be stealing his/her service and I'm not sure that's what you want to do. If you have permission or can work out a deal with your neighbour, it could be a good experience for you.

The only reason I summarized the Comcast service was because someone mentioned a contract/disconnect charge. There is none unless you are on a minimum 2 yr contract. I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to promote or sell their services. That's pretty much why I left my job at the call center.

Around here, Comcast is doing mostly disconnects.

When I called to disconnect my service, the rep didn't even try to change my mind. When I dropped off my convertor boxes, there was a long line of people returning.

Comcast's reliability has always been bad, and Verizon has a long list of people waiting for FIOS. In my townhouse development, out of 273 homes, at a community meeting last month, they signed up over 150.

"Jannie, you can use your neighbor's wireless in your house"
Which aggravates me to no end! I finally was able to secure my wifi..hope they enjoy paying for it now! Grrrrr...Kathy