Surfers take top ISPs to task over service

The number of US households surfing the Web continues to soar, but the general public?s opinion of the leading internet service providers is getting worse.

According to a survey of 2,500 US households by research firm Odyssey, the number of people using online services or the internet has almost doubled over the year to the end of July.

The typical US household spends an average of 12.8 hours a week online, compared with 6.5 hours a year ago. Almost half ? 48 per cent ? of households with a PC are online.

But consumers are not impressed with the service they are receiving from access providers. America Online ? which has the largest market penetration with 20 per cent ? received a ?very good? service ranking from 18 per cent of those surveyed, down from 30 per cent in January 1996.

America Online tied for first place in terms of satisfaction with Microsoft?s Internet Explorer, but this has also showed a decrease since it was launched in 1995.