EarthLink spokesman Jerry Grasso says consumers want two things from an Internet service provider: secure connections and tools to that cut through the clutter.

As the nation's largest consumer ISPs -- America Online, the Microsoft Network (MSN) and EarthLink -- scramble to grab new customers, reduce churn and differentiate their offerings in an increasingly similar world marked only by pricing, promotion of "safety and security" tools is the current hot marketing ticket.

Firewalls, e-mail filters, anti-virus programs, lockout features for parents and software for blocking pop-up ads are now standard with most ISPs.

In October, Atlanta-based EarthLink, the nation's third-largest ISP with approximately 5 million paid subscribers, introduced its shiniest new tool: a program that seeks surreptitiously installed software, known as spyware.

By Roy Mark at InternetNews.

[ Read more ]

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