Today, there is almost certainly a good broadband deal that will suit your pocket.  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.  However, before making choices you will be bamboozled by the sheer number of variations in ‘fair usage’ limits, caps on traffic, and so on.  In recent years it has become much more worthwhile to consider all-in-one packages that bundle your phone with broadband services - BT’s O2, or PlusNet come up frequently as good value but you should look at comparison web sites before making decisions - but this takes time because (of course) every provider offers different levels of service and special offers that disguise the true cost once the ‘grace period’ is over. Price Comparison Web Sites are beginning to be accredited by OFCOM (see below).
• Choice: Increased competition means that each supplier offers more packages that they tell you will ‘suit your needs’.  Things you should keep in mind:
• Cheaper deals tend to offer a usage 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!
• Contract lengths: some run on “one month”, others run on “24 month contracts”.  Check for penalties too.
• Think about changing your telephone provider so that you can get a “telephone with broadband” package.  Again, comparison web sites help make sense of this - I find Simplyswitch (see link below) quite good but others exist and may be just as good if not better - but it is a start!
• New Companies: The arrival of broadband added to the list of established brands.  Good deals don’t always come with a household name attached!  Check comparison web sites to learn which names offer the best balance between cost and use.
• 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 and other Comparison Websites worth exploring

In the bewildering world of price comparison web sites, OFCOM have begun an Accreditation Certification to help you find some reliable web sites for a wide range of communication and other services (telephone, broadband, etc). 

• Begin by visiting OFCOM’s  page, which showed (November 2011) seven accredited web sites.  Namely, Mobilife, Broadband Choices, Simplifydigital, BillMonitor, Broadband.co.uk, Cable.co.uk and Homephonechoices.co.uk have had their price comparison calculators accredited.

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).  There are many reviews that you can find by searching on-line.  The Which Magazine (visit Teynham Library!) has useful reports for this and many other services.
• What broadband equipment to think about?  Routers? Firewalls? Wireless Networks?  The lists are endless! Magazines (search on-line) often run features on equipment.

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!  Now you can choose several browsers to help you search the web for intersting content to suit your interests.  My favourites are Firefox, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer (currently version 9 and counting!).  A good place to find these downloads and a host of other free software packages is by visiting www.ninite.com