There are two initiatives under way to allow more people to have high speed Internet access for less. The first affects people in 14 states and is being led by Qwest, one of the four dominant local phone companies. Qwest is now offering “naked DSL,” which means that you can sign up for the high speed Internet access without being a Qwest customer for other things. The position of the four dominant phone companies has been that people must “tie” their phone service with their cable or DSL service. There is no need to have to tie these things together, but it’s legal for companies to demand that you do. So, congratulations to Quest, which appears to have seen the handwriting on the wall. It will cost about $33 for the service, which isn’t a lot more than some people are paying for dial up Internet service. The other trend is utility companies providing high speed Internet access. Basically anywhere you have an electrical outlet in your home you can plug in and get access. It’s been going on for a while in Europe, and now Synergy, a Midwestern utility, is joining the trend. They give you the modem for free and you plug in the socket wherever you are in your house. We’re paying way too much for high speed Internet service right now, so this is great. Synergy will be charging about $30 a month, as well. So, how will this affect you? It will spread the idea of new options around the country. What Qwest has done is very innovative. Clark hopes the other companies follow suit.