But for several years, the Vacaville-based ISP Castles Information Network, Inc. has been giving local businesses and residents an alternative. Offering dial-up, DSL and wireless internet connections, as well as Web hosting and design, Castles prides itself on being a quality, local ISP.

"If you go to a larger company, you're a number," said Jim Downey, president and CEO of Castles Information Network, Inc. "We're a local company. People can walk in the door and bang on the counter and yell at us if we've done something wrong."

It's that kind of personal attention - and, Downey points out, a real person on the other end of the phone - that has won Castles thousands of customers throughout California, mostly in Solano, Yolo, Contra Costa and Napa Counties, but even as far away as Honolulu and Panama City. Their customer base includes local companies, like Jackson Medical Supply, Caboodle Cartridge, and several outlet stores. Castles also provides Web hosting to several local non-profit organizations, including the Solano County Reading Association, the Solano Community Symphony, the Solano County Library Foundation, and the Vacaville Art League and Gallery.

The company began in 1985 as Castles Bulletin Board, then became Castles Information Network in 1993. The company incorporated in 1999, the same year the board of directors brought Downey to the company.

Today, Castles offers dial-up service in all of California, DSL connection in most of California, and high-speed T-1 connect all over the U.S. They offer 24-hour technical support as well as domain name registration.

Dial-up service costs $19.95 a month for unlimited access, and includes five e-mail addresses and 24-hour, bilingual technical support. DSL service is available for $21.95 with a one-year contract, going up to $29.95 after the first year.

High-speed wireless internet is available for $69 a month with a $249 installation fee. Web hosting begins at $9.95 a month, depending on the size of the Web site and bandwidth used per month. Web design begins at $250 and averages about $375. Downey said Castles uses a design system that allows customers to update sites themselves, rather than being dependent on a webmaster to make changes.

And, earlier this week, the firm unveiled a new service for small and mid-size businesses they've acquired through the company BlueTie. The service - modeled after more expensive Microsoft software - makes it easy for business owners to share files, sync up calendars, book flights and hotels, send reminders and more.

Downey says he loves being able to offer an alternative to the bigger companies. But he says the growth of bigger ISPs, and certain business agreements Castles has with AT&T, have made things more difficult in recent years.

For starters, Downey says Castles and other small ISP's like it are always struggling to compete with introductory offers the bigger companies have, even though bigger companies can increase prices dramatically after the introductory period is over.

Also, Castles and other small ISP's have to purchase circuits from AT&T in order to provide DSL to certain customers. But, at the end of 2009, Downey said AT&T will no longer be required by law to allow smaller companies to purchase those circuits.

Downey said purchasing the circuits from AT&T is the only way for small ISP's to offer DSL services.

While he believes it doesn't make financial sense for AT&T to pull the plug on the small companies, there is still some anxiety about what will happen to small ISP's in the future.

"We have a two-year window here," Downey said, adding that he wasn't sure "what the playing field will be like in two years, whether we'll even be able to compete."

Castles is a member of the California ISP Association (CISPA), which has allowed small ISP's to come together, pool resources, and share costs, as well as advocate for policies that would help keep them in business and compete with bigger companies.

Meanwhile, Downey said many smaller companies are developing the Web hosting and design sides of their business in anticipation of the possible changes. Others have opted to sell their customer base to companies like Earthlink rather than stay in business.

Still, Downey is optimistic, and believes the customer service and personal attention his company provides will win him loyalty from customers.

"If you're my customer and we're having lunch," Downey said, "I have to be able to look across the table and feel good about the services I provided for you."

Some customers "require a lot of hand-holding," he added. "AT&T is not going to do that."