EarthLink
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Infobox Company$1.4 billion USD (2004)|
homepage = www.earthlink.net
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EarthLink Template:NASDAQ, is an Internet service provider headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It claims 5.4 million members (2004 estimate).
It was founded in 1994 by Sky Dayton, supposedly after he spent an entire week trying to configure his own computer for internet access. He then soon realized the market for user-friendly ISPs. From a modest beginning of ten modems, the company has grown to include more than 2,000 POP numbers in the US—and more than 40 internationally.
On February 4, 2000, the company (then based in Pasadena, California) merged with Atlanta-founded MindSpring, making it the second-largest ISP in the U.S.— after AOL.
EarthLink provides a variety of Internet connection types, including DSL, satellite, and cable. EarthLink also offers a different types of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone services. One type provides both DSL and home voice service which makes VOIP service practical for DSL users. The support section of the EarthLink website has detailed instructions for configuring Windows and Mac OS to access the company's network, either with the EarthLink software or with those operating systems' standard networking features. Linux is not listed on EarthLink's support pages, but because the company operates entirely via standard Internet protocols, any experienced Linux user can easily translate the standard settings for either Windows or Mac OS to the needed Linux settings and customer service representatives are usually helpful in setting up a dialup connection using Linux as a client.
In addition to selling the company's various Internet connections online and by phone, EarthLink operates retail kiosks in all Fry's Electronics stores, manned by two to five representatives directly employed by EarthLink rather than Fry's. For signing up in-store, EarthLink offers customers special promotions not available elsewhere (including cash back and extended discounts). Services sold at the kiosks include PeoplePC dial-up, PeoplePC Accelerated dial-up, EarthLink Accelerated dial-up, EarthLink High Speed (including Cable, DSL, and Satellite), and EarthLink Wireless's AirCard, which provides Internet service over digital cellular signals across the United States. EarthLink provides the large majority of its users with free anti-virus software (Win 2000 & XP only).
On June 10, 2002, EarthLink acquired PeoplePC, a value-priced dial-up service that has more dial-up access numbers than any other ISP (including AOL). PeoplePC's direct competitors are NetZero and Netscape.
In July 2005, EarthLink announced that it was closing the last of its in-house American call centers, though the company still has American call centers via out-source telecom companies. In the late 1990s, when all of EarthLink's technical support was provided through in-house call centers, the company promoted the knowledgeability of its agents specializing in its service and continues to do so with its current staff.
EarthLink is currently working with the city of Philadelphia and Anaheim in their development and implementation of the city wide wi-fi internet access. EarthLink has also teamed up with Google in to do the same in San Francisco.
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Earthlink and Scientology
It has been charged by many researchers of the controversial Church of Scientology that Earthlink is a front organization for Scientology. According to skeptictank.org:
- Numerous individuals who have worked for this cult front company in the past have come forward to describe the fact that EarthLink's help desk's employees are ordered to claim that the Scientology crime syndicate doesn't own and run EarthLink.NET. (See comments by ex-employees of EarthLink.NET on The Skeptic Tank's web site.)....The fact is, the security of one's e-mail which flows through these two companies is highly suspect and users who subscribe to either of these services should consider very carefully the history of the Scientology crime syndicate.<ref name="skeptic">http://www.skeptictank.org/hs/elcoslnk.htm</ref>
The March 1998 issue of the San Jose Metro ran an article called "Missing Links", examining the Scientology-Earthlink controversy:
- Electronic free-speech advocates are concerned about the Scientology leanings of Earthlink founder Sky Dayton and the church's history of litigation over copyright infringements on the Net.... Dayton is a vocal follower of the Church of Scientology who in the early days surrounded himself with upper management and private financiers who were also Scientologists...... As the company has grown, EarthLink executives have tried to distance the company from its Scientology roots, and for good reason. Unlike other religions, Scientology has earned a reputation for dragging ISPs into court for alleged copyright violations committed by private subscribers, something which electronic-privacy advocates believe could erode free discourse on the Net.<ref name="sanjosemetro">http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/03.19.98/scientology-9811.html</ref>
Dayton and his two financial backers are Scientologists. When this fact created controversy in the media, Dayton asserted that the idea that EarthLink was owned by the Church of Scientology was absurd, making the comparison, "It was like I'm Jewish, therefore EarthLink was owned by the state of Israel."<ref name="bweek">Larry Armstrong. "The Mac of Internet Providers." Business Week December 15, 1997</ref>
SIPshare
EarthLink SIPshare is a Session Initiation Protocol-based file sharing network made by Clay Shirky and David Beckemeyer.
Helio
On January 26, 2005, Earthlink announced that it had formed an agreement with Korean cellphone service provider SK Telecom to jointly own and operate a new MVNO in the US wireless marketplace. The name of this new company is Helio. The network is expected to commence operations sometime in Spring 2006. Helio's business model revolves around providing advanced wireless devices not commonly seen for sale in the US market to technology-savvy consumers. Template:Infobox Company
Aluria Software,LLC
Aluria Software,LLC was a privately held company founded in 1999 and based in Orlando, Florida. On August 22, 2005 Earthlink, Inc. announced an agreement to acquire Aluria Software's assets; thus making Aluria Software a division of Earthlink. <ref name="acquisition">http://www.earthlink.net/about/press/pr_aluria_acquisition/</ref>
Aluria Software develops and markets security and protection products for consumers, small businesses, and enterprise customers.
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