Can I dial in without having to call a long-distance number?

Question of the day: If you connect to the Internet by modem, the modem in your computer calls the ISP’s computers. If that telephone call is a long-distance call, going on the Internet becomes an expensive proposition because you have to pay long-distance rates for each connection time. National ISPs, such as those run by the major telephone companies, offer regional phone numbers that you can call no matter where you travel. If you travel a lot and have to connect a laptop computer to the Internet from various cities and regions, consider signing on with an ISP that offers what are called points of presence (or simply POPs), which are the regional telephone
numbers that you can dial to connect to an ISP.