Hawaii's first
ISP (since 1994) and provider of accounts to many users and
resellers. They offer
dialup and
ADSL accounts with the standard email, USENET and webpage access for a very low price.
What makes them noteworthy is their business model. Rather than try to get every warm body on the Internet, they aim for the experienced or problem-solving user. While they have ample online help, they offer no technical support beyond that whatsoever. Emails asking for help are ignored, and the signup page specifically tells AOL users to not even bother. Another innovation is the credit card only policy where each month must be paid for. Unlike most ISPs, they don't charge you automatically, making quitting as easy as stopping payment. It's the kind of ISP most skilled users can only dream of.
I find FlexNet's existence interesting as part of the upswell of companies catering to the technically skilled. Obviously the savings from eliminating tech support are huge, and I imagine a growing number of these bare bones companies. It's similar to the overclocking businesses - if there's a niche, there's an opportunity.
FlexNet's at www.flex.com