End of an era: AOL pulls the plug on dial-up internet after 34 years

Here is a 190-word summary of the news article: AOL, once the largest internet service provider in the United States, has announced that it will be discontinuing its dial-up internet service on September 30, 2025. The shutdown will also affect associated software like AOL Dialer and AOL Shield. In 2000, AOL had around 30 million active users, making it the largest internet provider in the world. However, the number of dial-up subscribers has dwindled in recent years due to the proliferation of broadband infrastructure. In 2022, there were still an estimated 175,000 dial-up subscribers in the US, mainly in rural areas with limited internet access. Dial-up internet is considered a legacy service, slow and impractical compared to modern broadband. Yet, it continues to power certain aspects of infrastructure and business in the country, similar to outdated technologies like Windows 95 and Commodore 64s. The shutdown of AOL's dial-up service marks the end of an era for a company that was once the face of the internet for millions of Americans. It highlights the ongoing digital divide, with rural communities still lacking reliable high-speed internet access.