AOL Going to be Free

"AOL could give up as much as $2 billion in subscription revenue if a gambit aimed at boosting the Internet service's advertising revenue goes ahead, the Wall Street Journal said. Under the plan, AOL would stop charging subscription fees for users with high-speed Internet access or a dial-up service from another provider, the newspaper said. AOL expects that 8 million of its existing dial-up customers would cancel their subscription to take advantage of the new offer. Nearly one-third of the company's customer base of 18.6 million in the first quarter already has high-speed access, it said. AOL is losing subscribers to high-speed Internet providers at a quickening pace, losing about 850,000 in the first quarter, the Journal said."