Digital Subscriber Line (or "DSL") uses existing telephone company wiring to deliver very high speed data transmissions. Since DSL uses ordinary telephone wires, virtually every home or office is already wired. There are distance limitations with DSL, but if you are within roughly three miles of a telephone company central office, chances are excellent that you can get DSL.

DSL is a direct line between your computer (or network) and your Internet service provider, unlike cable which shares bandwidth at the edge of the network. This makes DSL more robust, and is why it is preferred by so many businesses and tech-savvy consumers.

A DSL connection is a dedicated or "always on" connection. There is never a need to "connect" because you are always connected. Instead of checking your e-mail, your e-mail comes to you. With DSL, as with cable, the Internet is at your fingertips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.