Internet Service Provider.
Think of ISPs as the 'phone companies of the Internet'. Typically, you pick a phone company, they charge you a one-time hook-up fee, followed by a minor monthly fee, and voila! You're indulging in a reading from the Psychic Friends Network. Getting connected to the Internet is the same deal. Choose an ISP, set up an account, and then dial into the ISP using your modem. One of its multitudes of modems answers and then gives you a connection to the rest of the Net. There are thousands of ISPs to pick and choose from, and with more and more forming every day, the competition for your $20 a month is growing increasingly stiff: Now ISPs must offer Web site hosting, email accounts, and extensive support to get enough of your business to stay in business.