                           Concentric Network

                             by Tony Curro

The Concentric Network Corporation (CNC) is in the business of
connecting people to information, entertainment and other people. This
is very evident in their pricing policy for users who wish to access the
Internet. Concentric was the first nationwide on-line provider to offer
its services at a flat-rate, making it possible for heavy users to be
on-line without paying expensive hourly usage charges.

Features that Concentric offers include:

* Full Internet access, including SLIP and UNIX shell accounts.
* BBS Direct, offering local connections to your favorite bulletin board
systems.
* Local dial-ups from more than 3,000 U.S. and Canadian cities plus 800
service.
* Telnet, UseNet, FTP, Gopher, email, and more.
* Your very own World Wide Web home page.
* Software, business, and support systems.
* Modem connections up to 28.8 kbps.
* 800 technical support, 24 hours a day -- 7 days a week.

You can use any of the major popular graphical World Wide Web browsers
with Concentric Internet services. The disks you receive when you join
the network contain Netscape Navigator.

The technical support people for CNC are great. Being a new user to the
Internet, I ran into a few problems. Most of the time this is a problem
for me, as I like to work in the late evening and early morning. When I
ran into a problem at 2 AM, Mark was there to help me. At 4:30 AM I was
back on the phone with him. He faxed me a document of seven pages that
got me up and running with no more problems. It is refreshing to talk to
people occasionally that know what they are doing. Mark did know his
job. Remember this technical support comes with an 800 number, that is
fast becoming a vanishing breed.

Now about the pricing plans I was talking about:

* Entry plan -- $7.95 per month give you up to five hours of usage, with
additional hours priced at $1.95 an hour.

* Intermediate plan -- $19.95 per month gives you up to twenty hours of
usage, with additional hours at $1.50 per hour.

* Unlimited plan -- $29.95 per month gives you unlimited connect time.

* Toll-free plan -- For $10.00 a month, customers outside urban areas
can dial the Concentric Network on a toll-free 800 number for up to two
hours a month. Additional hours are billed at $5.00 each.

You can pay for these plans by credit card, or by mailing them a check.

Call 1-800-745-2747 (ext. 2900) and ask about the Outrageous Internet Offer.

Email: outrageous@concentric.net
Web: http://www.concentric.net

Concentric Network Corporation
10590 N. Tantau Ave.
Cupertino, CA 95014
