A year ago the price of broadband was high enough to make anyone wonder - “why bother?”. Today, there is almost certainly a good broadband deal that will suit your picket. Well, at the very least it is worth looking into. So here are some thoughts to help you make sense of it all.

What has changed?

• Prices have come down sharply for the same broadband services.
• Choice: Increased competition means that each supplier offers more packages to suit your needs. For example, cheaper deals are on offer if you are happy with a limit (or “cap”) on how much you download. If you only want to use the internet to keep in touch with friends and family, perhaps including a few family photographs, then a capped service is going to be good enough. To see what you get with a cap of 1Mb in plain English, press!
• New Companies: The arrival of broadband added to the list of established brands. Good deals don’t always come with a household name attached!
• More services, goods and entertainment are available on-line - but how do you know which broadband service to sign up to - some comparisons might help.

Some places to start - Broadband Related Websites worth exploring

Two websites that help you say what you want from the internet, compare suppliers and then print off a comparison of best value options. You will be asked to fill in your Postcode and telephone number so they know how fast your telephone exchange is. These sites also compare suppliers of energy, credit cards, telephone, mortgages and so on.

• www.simplyswitch.com - personally, I found this one easiest to use.
• www.uswitch.com

Another website that list services and lets you compare them is ADSLGuide.

• Perhaps you have a short-list of service suppliers and want to know more about them? Then ISP Review may help (I find them a bit patchy).
• What broadband equipment to think about? Routers? Firewalls? Wireless Networks? Give me a break! Magazines often run features on equipment, or you could start with a website like - DSLSource.

A useful place to read yourself into the subject with loads of links and local guidance is the UKVillages website

OK, you have all the Broadband you want! How about finding websites that are really designed with a broadband user in mind? jonnybroadband is a great place to see what is “out there”!