Toronto Free‑Net is a community-run organization that provides telecommunications and Internet services. Serving people in the GTA since 1994, we offer reliable and affordable Internet access, email addresses, and VOIP telephone services.
With 50,000 voting members, the Free‑Net strives to improve Internet literacy, protect digital rights, and promote the free dissemination of information on an open Internet.
Free‑Net internet is affordable and offer superior value - fast and reliable.
All Free‑Net packages include webspace and email, with no advertisements and no restrictions on the method of access.
Toronto Free‑Net is a non-profit corporation, with roughly 50,000 members. It is controlled by its users, who are voting members and not just customers. They set Free‑Net's services and policies to fit members' needs. As a result, Free‑Net prices and payment terms are fair and straightforward.
There are no term contracts, no bundle requirements, and no cancellation penalties. You can cancel a Free‑Net service anytime. Just inform the Free‑Net office that you are cancelling, and you will owe no further payments — you are not locked-in.
Similarly, there are no fees hidden in fine print. Toronto Free‑Net does not force its users to rent DSL modems nor to install unwanted software.
Read more at: What makes Free‑Nets different
Toronto Free‑Net is committed to providing quality Internet services for all GTA residents, and helping anybody overcoming any barriers they face.
Internet access is an essential service. Since 1994, Free‑Net has offered free dialup access, without any commercial advertising. We are a lifeline for Torontonians who would otherwise have to forgo Internet access from home, in order to pay for very basic necessities.
More than merely providing DSL or dialup connections, Free‑Net volunteers teach Internet literacy, from the basics of how to use a web browser, to the depths of provisioning resilient servers and designing TCP/IP networks. We empower people to become informed users of Internet technologies.
Free‑Net makes a point of providing support and Internet access to people who are under-serviced by mainstream providers. Our volunteers make the Internet accessible to everyone, regardless of ability, income, technological preferences, etc.
At Free‑Net, you get email, and webspace services with dignity.
Free‑Net members are diverse and we celebrate diversity. Rather than abandoning people who use unconventional equipment, Free‑Net volunteers enjoy the opportunity to work with assistive technologies and to find new ways to make Free‑Net accessible to fellow members with special needs.
Similarly, Free‑Net technical support volunteers have the freedom to spend the necessary time with users who need more patient assistance. Where commercial providers see a "difficult customer" who costs them too much time and money, we see a fellow member in need of Internet access.
At Free‑Net, your choice of computer is respected, no matter how old or new, how powerful or how slow. We support all computers and operating systems. Whether you still use a computer from the 1980s with MS-DOS and Kermit or the latest GNU/Linux distro, Mac or Windows, or whether you want high speed or dialup, our volunteers will work with you to get you online!
Read more at: What makes Free‑Nets different
Free‑Net cradles innovative projects in technology and education to benefit the community. We assist and nourish the efforts of other non-profit organizations providing Internet literacy and access to technology.
Free‑Net offers fulfilling volunteer tasks for all members, technical or not.
At Free‑Net, technology professionals and even hobbyists have the opportunity to study communication technologies in depth, to be mentored by more experienced volunteers, and to practice on commercial grade equipment.
Some Free‑Net technical volunteers do this to gain experience, which helps them get paying work in a technology field. Others are successful information technology workers giving back to the Free‑Net which sparked and fed their interest in this field, when it provided their first glimpse into the Internet.
Non-technical volunteers work on tasks such as processing members' payments, accounting, answering inquiries from the public, monitoring the regulatory environment, and crafting Free‑Net's marketing strategy. They too learn computer skills, at a rate they can handle and to the level they choose.
Other volunteers are gifted teachers who love helping freenet members grow from the most beginning users to high levels of computer literacy.
Free‑Net volunteers, young and old, inexperienced or highly educated, gather at the Free‑Net to teach and to support each other, to receive guidance or to find a sense of purpose. And, of course, to have fun together.
Free‑Net is far from the only community-driven organization dedicated to Internet access for all:
As a non-profit, Toronto Free‑Net is proud of its sustainable service model.
Toronto Free‑Net keeps costs low by making smart use of free software, refurbished hardware, and volunteer time.
Core operating costs, such as the maintenance of Free‑Net's network infrastructure, are not provided by government funding. Free‑Net's budget comes from donations and from providing high-speed and VOIP to all Torontonians at affordable prices.
Toronto Free‑Net builds community, creates training opportunities, provides reliable free service and support to vulnerable GTA citizens, and advocates for a fair and accessible Internet, without depending on government funding for survival.
Read more at: What makes Free‑Nets different
By choosing Toronto Free‑Net, you get excellent service while supporting universal Internet access across the GTA, all at a bargain price!