If the online broadcast of President Clinton's grand jury testimony last week proved anything, it's this: We need faster connections to the Internet.

Most viewers who dialed in to watch clips of the performance over standard phone lines probably weren't amused by what they saw: a herky-jerky video of the President with an out-of-sync soundtrack that looked and sounded like one of those horribly dubbed Godzilla flicks from the '50s.

Next time a sex scandal hits the Web, you can be prepared. High-speed alternatives to dial-up modems are emerging. They're not all cheap, and not all of them are widely available in Baltimore. But any one of them can deliver Web video faster than a phone line and supercharge your Web browsing performance.

"Once consumers get a taste of high-speed Internet access at home, they'll never go back to dial-up," said Forrester analyst Christopher Mines, an analyst for Forrester Research Inc.

Forrester predicts that 16 million U.S. households - a quarter of all online homes - will use high-speed connections to the Internet by 2002.

Even dial-up modem users may soon get a slight speed boost. Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission proposed to do away with 22-year-old regulations that limit modem transmission speeds at 53.6 kilobits per second. If the plan gets final approval, 56K modems will be able to handle data at their advertised speed. Even so, the move is largely symbolic, since most phone lines can't support speeds any higher than the mid-40s, regardless of the modem used.

Here's a thumbnail guide to four high-speed Internet technologies.

Cable

For most speed freaks, Comcast'some high-speed Internet service is hard to beat - if you can get it in your neighborhood and you're willing to pay.

Coaxial cable offers a hypersonic, 10 megabit per second

pipeline to the Internet, 170 times faster than the quickest dial-up modem. This means that digital movies or 15-megabyte games such as Quake download in minutes rather than hours.

The technology also provides a round-the-clock connection to the Internet without tying up a phone line. And megabit for megabit, it's hard to find a better deal. Cable Internet requires a cable modem that's included in the one-time $140 setup price. After that, you pay $40 a month if you're a Comcast subscriber and $50 if you're not.

The service is available only where Comcast has upgraded its network to digital standards. This includes includes most of Baltimore County and heavily populated parts of Howard County, such as Ellicott City and Columbia. Comcast recently started its Harford County upgrade.

Baltimore city's cable provider Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI), does not offer cable Internet service but has not ruled it out. This is also true in Carroll and Anne Arundel counties.

One potential problem with cable Internet service is that customers share the same pipeline. If too many people sign up and use it at the same time, the service could slow down considerably. That hasn't happened, and probably won't for some time, says Comcast officials.

ADSL

Telephone companies around the country are trumpeting the Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) as the next big thing for speed-starved Internet junkies. And for good reason: It's the only high-speed technology that uses your regular phone copper line. It works by using frequencies that that aren't used by voice transmissions.

This summer Bell Atlantic launched InfoSpeed DSL, its first ADSL service, in the Washington, area and elsewhere. Baltimore won't see it until well into 1999, according to Bell Atlantic spokesman Larry Plumb.

When it arrives, ADSL will transform your Web browser into a bullet train, with a maximum transfer rate of 7.1 megabits of data per second - nearly 130 times quicker than the fastest dial-up modem.

Like cable, ADSL transfers information to your house faster than it handles data swimming upstream from your PC. But since most people send out only a few keystrokes worth of data at a time, this imbalance probably won't matter much.

ADSL technology allows you to receive simultaneous voice and data transmission and is always on, so you don't have to sit through those annoying dial-up beeps every time you want to check your e-mail.

To get ADSL you'll need an ADSL modem, a network card, and a line splitter to separate data from voice traffic. The phone company also has to install equipment in its central office.

ADSL isn't cheap. The installation and equipment charges will run about $525, although promotions may chop this price by several hundred dollars. Monthly subscription costs depend on connection speed, and range from $40 for a 640 kilobits per second connection to $110 for a 7.1 megabit link.

ADSL also has several limitations that may prevent subscribers from hitting all cylinders - or getting the service altogether. For example, DSL users need to live within 3 miles of a telephone company central office.

ISDN

Developed by the phone company more than 15 years ago, the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is the granddaddy of high-speed digital phone technologies. And its age shows: it's the slowest of the bunch with a maximum 128 kilobit per second connection. That's two to three times as fast as today's best modems.

Still, ISDN has several things going for it. It uses regular phone lines, it's widely available, and most large Internet service providers support it. You can also surf the Net while gabbing on the phone or transmitting a fax, although doing so cuts your maximum surfing speed in half, to 64 kilobits per second.

To get the service, you'll need an ISDN terminal adapter (which acts like a modem), and the phone company will have to make some wiring changes in your house. Expect the setup, hardware and wiring charge run $400 or more. As for monthly fees, Bell Atlantic has several packages, ranging from $28 for 20 hours of 128-kilobit access (there's a charge of a penny or two per minute after that) to $236 for unlimited use.

Overall, the speed boost ISDN offers seems modest, compared with the speed and cost of other new technologies. ISDN also has a couple of quirks. If you're replacing your existing phone line, you may have to change your number. And even though an ISDN line gives you two numbers, you'll need an expensive ISDN phone and some rewiring to use the ISDN line on extensions elsewhere in your home.

Satellite

If you live in the boonies or don't have access to cable Internet or ISDN, you may want to consider a satellite-based Internet service such as DirecPC.

Operated by Hughes Network Systems of Germantown (the same people who bring you DirecTV satellite television), DirecPC can connect you to the Web at speeds up to 400 kilobits per second.

To get the service, you'll need a DirecPC kit, which includes a satellite dish, a circuit card for your PC and special software. The package is available at most computer and electronic stores for about $200 after rebates. Then you have the choice of stomping around on the roof to install the antenna or hiring somebody to do it.

There are several monthly price plans: $29.99 for 25 hours, $49.99 for 100 hours, and $129.99 a month for 200 hours of service. All include ISP service and an e-mail account. If you go over your monthly limit, DirecPC charges you an additional $2 an hour.

A major drawback to DirecPC is that it transmits data only from the Web to your PC, so you'll still need a phone line connected to zap data back to the Web. Another issue is the company's so-called "Fair Access Policy," which may impose a speed limit on your Web surfing if the company thinks you're hoging the network.

Want to learn more?

Check out these sites for more information on high-speed Internet access:

Bell Atlantic ISDN: 800-204-7332 or http://fastball.basit.com/isdnweb.nsf/

isdnstart

Bell Atlantic's InfoSpeed DSL: 877-525-ADSL or www.bell-atl.com/adsl/

Comcastome: 888-793-9800 or www.comcastonline.com

DirecPC: 800-347-3272 or www.direcpc.com

This table shows a comparison of standard dial-up Internet service and four high-speed Internet options.

......... DIAL-UP ... ISDN ..... SATELLITE .. ADSL ..... CABLE

Max.

Speed ... 56 kbps .. 128 kbps .. 400 kbps .. 7.1 mbps .. 10mbps

Setup Fee ..$0 ....... $125 ...... $50 ....... $200 ...... $150

Hardware

Cost .. $100-$150 ... $200 ..... $300 ....... $325 ..... included

Monthy Fee $20 ..... $25-$240 ... $30-$130 .. $40-$110 ... $40-$50

Pub Date: 9/28/98