Internet service hiking fee

Tuesday, May 22, 2001 | 11:06 a.m.

DULLES, Va. -- America Online Inc. said today it is increasing the price of its unlimited-use plan by $1.95, or about 9 percent, to $23.90 a month with the July billing cycle.

The last time the Internet provider increased the price of its unlimited service package was April 1998. Over the period, usage on the service has increased more than 50 percent, with the average user spending up to 70 minutes a day on AOL.

AOL's other pricing plans will not be affected by the change. AOL has 29 million subscribers overall but it is unclear how many of them take the unlimited service plan.

The price increase will help fund improvements in the AOL service, including the next software upgrade, AOL 7.0, company officials said. The upgrade will increase the integration of local and broadband content and enhance other areas, such as personal finance, entertainment, news and sports.

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