Iowa Internet service providers, or ISPs, connect their customers to the Internet in exchange for a fee. A national ISP will grant access to subscribers in much of the nation while a local ISP will limit users to a specific geographic region.

A small business should consider a separate web hosting company to maintain its website instead of using the web space from a business Internet provider. Iowa businesses with high-traffic sites may require a large national company that can provide mirroring and redundant connections for their websites.

The first consideration in deciding which of the ISPs in Iowa to use is the type of access you want:

1. Dial-up access uses a telephone line and is the slowest connection. You must dial in to the Iowa ISP and you'll frequently have a limit on your connection time.

2. Digital Subscriber Line, or DSL, access also is available through the phone in most areas of Iowa. DSL is much faster than a dial-up connection and normally provides dedicated access.

3. Iowa broadband providers have the fastest connections small business owners in Iowa can generally afford. Internet services in Iowa also offer high-speed cable Internet access.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate Iowa internet access that offers cable access to small businesses

ISPs in Iowa that provide an always-on cable connection are frequently the best deal for small businesses. Some national ISPs offer packages tailored to the size of your business.

I recommend: Conway is a Iowa high-speed Internet provider that provides a premium business Internet package using cable. It also sells additional IP addresses, email address and web space separately. Optimum offers a range of packages for businesses of different sizes and provides web hosting and ecommerce services.

Find services that offer commercial grade DSL in Iowa

Many ISPs design DSL packages for business owners throughout much of the nation. Businesses can bundle multiple services together, such as Internet and web hosting, to get a better deal from the ISP.

I recommend: Speakeasy offers a range of DSL technologies aimed at small businesses, including ADSL, ADSL2 and SDSL. The Verizon Small Business Center has high speed DSL connections with options for static IP addresses that allow businesses to host their own email and Web servers.

Check out the access packages from a local Iowa Internet service provider

A rural business may have to depend on a small, local IA Internet service provider. ISPs in Iowa frequently offer wireless DSL service for these businesses.

I recommend: InterLink in Keokuk has business pricing for its wireless network and allows multiple computer access at no extra charge. Dynamic Broadband in Cedar Rapids provides businesses with a range of connection speeds, in addition to commercial web hosting.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Use Iowa high-speed Internet access with a Tier 3 rating or better, especially if you are running a small business. The tier rating establishes the ISP's proximity to the Internet and generally how fast its access will be, all other things being equal. Tier 1 ISPs are linked directly to the Internet; Tier 2 ISPs lease their connections from Tier 1 ISPs and so on.