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PeoplePC
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PeoplePC is an Internet service provider owned by EarthLink.
PeoplePC launched in the USA in October of 1999 with a goal of providing people with a way to access the Internet. They started offering a PC purchasing plan for individuals. The PeoplePC plan offered a new brand name computer replaced every 3 years, dial-up internet access, and in-home warranty service for a $24.95 monthly payment ("about the cost of internet access alone" according to their advertising.) While its marketing made it seem like a monthly service, it was actually more of a financing plan which required credit and involved paying off the computer over 3 years. Despite the competitive offering and heavy advertising, PeoplePC never attracted a great deal of business, eventually PeoplePC began to offer their ISP service alone without the purchase of a computer. Now, only the ISP service remains. PeoplePC has coverage nationwide with over 8,000 access numbers. The software incorporates a 'Smart Dialer' technology that is advertised to automatically select a number. It also includes spam controls, virus protection, and a pop-up blocker. An accelerated version is also available. Their headquarters is located in San Francisco, California. Their ticker symbol is NASDAQ: ELNK.
On June 10, 2004, EarthLink acquired PeoplePC, and continues to operate it as a separate ISP.
On May 10, 2005, PeoplePC became the first low cost ISP to include free internet call waiting with its software. The free service displays the caller ID information of incoming calls on-screen. Also added was the availability of up to four email addresses per account with 100MB of storage each.