Cost to connect is not just measured in dollars and cents...indeed to make sense ( pun intended ) of it all the equation should take into consideration what you have to deal with trying to connect ( dial up ) and staying connected ( mostly dial-up ) and basic performance.
Not all providers are created equal and not all area's of the country or the world for that matter operate at the same or even similar performance levels.
Of course there are issue related to "the cost of connecting" that have to do with you and the condition of your wiring and lets not forget the condition of you computer and the related hardware involved.
The thing is, most people don't think about "cost" as something other than $ or whatever your symbol for cash_ola is ( the only way that i have the sign for the British Pound immediately available to me now is by finding it elsewhere>copy>paste='s ££; an aside that in my pea brain speaks on some level to "the cost of X" ( X may be "living" or "doing business" etc or is it "etc"; whatever...)
A brief history of time as it pertains to this theory: 1994 2400 baud modem connecting to either Prodigy or AOL. AOL was a toll call and Prodigy was local. Sometimes the connection "shook hands" as an Apple EggHead called it ( i was using a Mac exclusively back then and became aware of a user group 20 miles away that i used to drive to just to learn as much as i could about my computer ) the club members also suggested to check my wires from the wall back to the telephone company's box where their line became my line. Buying new wire and changing everything back to their box improved a 2400 baud connection soooo much that it was a whole new experience that i never knew until i invested in the best 22 gauge copper wire into a new connection receptacle ( RJ-11 ). After that i got SNET ( my phone company in CT ) to run a new wire to the house and the updated their stuff ( the box ) and that also resulted in a noticeable difference. However if one is to accurately figure out "the cost" of anything time invested has to count for something.
By 1995 i had spent mucho dollars to buy new modems ( every time a new speed came out it was time to consider up dating as as everyone knows it costs more for a MAC and more for everything associated with MAC. So that was part of the cost to connect. And for you young folk; back then we paid for our service by the hour or depending on the policy of the company, by the minute if it was close to an hour + or -. My cost to connect back then had on one or two occasion's been over $100.00 Others that i knew on AOL or Prodigy told me of monthly bills over $500.00!!!! i knew of 3 divorces that happened over the internet bill.
So now " How much does it cost you ? "
How about a poll rating providers. i've had Adelphia ( the first cable connection provider ) Comcast, TimeWarner, and iO. iO was the best hands down!
Poll