The rebound in export prices, improved farmer confidence and spending drove an improvement in PGG Wrightson sales and profits. Read...

AOL may have discontinued its dial-up internet services, but at least three others still exist as alternatives — yes, even in 2025. Three providers — Microsoft, Juno, and NetZero — say that they offer dial-up plans, with Juno continuing to offer free dial-up for 10 hours a month, though with a potential major catch. Over the weekend, the internet discovered that AOL had quietly announced that it would discontinue its dial-up internet services at the end of September. The shutdown will also affect associated software including AOL Dialer and AOL Shield, the company said. While AOL became synonymous with dial-up internet — and it’s “You’ve Got Mail” notification even became the inspiration for a feature film — customers moved on to DSL and then broadband connections to the open internet. Deploying broadband to rural locations requires investment, however, and the rollout was increasingly funded by governments, rather than private businesses. Wireless connections like T-Mobile’s 5G broadband services and StarLink‘s satellite connections helped make the older dial-up services increasingly obsolete. But for now, there do still appear to be dial-up options available. Among the most well-known is MSN Dial-Up Internet Access, which Microsoft sells for $21.95 per month or $179.95 per year. However, when I tried to access a list of nearby access numbers to check of service was available, a few numbers I tried — all in relatively populous areas — weren’t recognized. That wasn’t the case for NetZero, which offers “high-speed accelerated dial-up” for $29.95 per month. I used my Bay Area phone number and was able to find several local access numbers. (Of course, the Bay Area is also a haven for broadband, too.) Finally, Juno still advertises a free broadband service, though the Wikipedia page devoted to it notes that the company had planned in 2009 to use its software to harvest CPU cycles from its customers, a plan that may or may not have come to fruition. The page also notes issues with the company’s software and how it handled modern web formats. Clearly, most American internet customers have moved on to broadband, whether fixed or wireless. But if you need dial-up, a few providers remain — for now. Read...

AOL was once the largest provider of internet service for Americans. Today, it belongs to Yahoo! Inc. and operates as a web portal where you can read online articles aggregated from sources across the web—and it also still offers dial-up internet service! But not for much longer. Last week, AOL announced that it will be discontinuing its dial-up internet service starting September 30, 2025. Active users will need to switch to another internet provider by then, and the shutdown will also affect associated software including AOL Dialer and AOL Shield. Once bustling with 30 million customers It’s quite stunning that AOL is still offering dial-up service in 2025, and more astonishing that people are still paying for it. In 2022, one report counted about 175,000 dial-up subscribers in the US—and that number has surely dwindled in the three years since, but not to zero. The reason why people still pay for dial-up is more sad than amusing: many people in rural areas simply have no other access to the internet, forced to rely on dial-up through telephone lines to stay connected. AOL isn’t the only dial-up provider, but was the largest for a long time. AOL began offering its dial-up internet service back in 1991, then grew to be the largest internet provider in the world in 2000 with around 30 million active users. In recent years, however, AOL earned more from tech support and digital security services than from its internet services. Dial-up internet is a legacy service In recent years, the number of dial-up internet users has fallen sharply due to the proliferation of broadband infrastructure in the US. Unfortunately, broadband still hasn’t reached every nook of the country, and those who have no other option must still resort to traditional dial-up access. Dial-up isn’t only slow and impractical, but also exceedingly expensive for what you get, plus susceptible to cyberattacks and other security risks. Many now consider dial-up internet to be a legacy service and we wouldn’t be caught dead using such an outdated technology—but legacy tech continues to power our country in ways unseen. For example, Windows 95 and floppy disks are still used in air traffic control and some businesses still use Commodore 64s for customer checkouts. Read...

Federated Farmers, along with business and meat industry organisations have welcomed new seasonal worker visas. Read...

A move to reduce staffing in rural areas of Canterbury in order to respond to growing demand elsewhere is “robbing Peter to pay Paul”, the police union says. Read...

Rural areas such as Waiuku face rate rises of over 23%, local politicians say. Read...

A new three-year research project by the youth charity aims to look at how Maori philosophies and values can be used to shape mental health promotion. Read...

There has been a shortage of rural GPs throughout the country and more medical students from rural areas willing to return to their local communities are needed to help address the issue. Read...

Police are accusing Federated Farmers of scaremongering over a proposed restructure in rural Canterbury. Read...

Police plan to cut rural officers, boosting resources in central areas. Read...