After more than three decades, AOL’s dial-up internet is finally going silent. The company announced this week that it will discontinue the service on September 30, ending an era that many assumed had already passed.
Launched in 1991, AOL’s dial-up was once a gateway to the internet for millions, complete with its distinctive connection tones and ubiquitous “You’ve got mail!” greeting. Usage, however, has plummeted over the years—from about 1.5 million subscribers in 2015 to “low thousands” by 2021.
For most Americans, the shutdown will barely register. But for a small group of customers—many in rural or remote areas—AOL’s dial-up has remained a lifeline. In places where broadband has yet to reach or where high-speed options are prohibitively expensive, dial-up has persisted out of necessity.
Those users aren’t completely stranded—several niche providers still offer dial-up—but the closure underscores the nation’s uneven internet access. Federal data show that 22.3% of rural residents and 27.7% of those on Tribal lands still lack broadband, compared to just 1.5% in urban areas.
Programs such as the Affordable Connectivity Program and the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) initiative aim to close that gap by expanding infrastructure and subsidizing service for low-income households.
Source: AOL