If you go to Circuit City and talk to one of the sales people...they can tell you what you need. After hurricane Katrina, when we had no cable (so no internet) for about 2 months, I checked into other internet options. I don't have a phone line (totally cellular) so no dial up access. At Circuit City, the sales guy told me about a service that Verizon has (and I imagine Sprint, etc too) where you get a special adaptor for your laptop (also available for desktop, but less common) where you can access internet through your cellphone service over your laptop (wireless internet that connects through the special adaptor thingy...I guess it is through Satellite or something). It is NOT the same thing as having a wireless card where you have to be in a "hot spot" to use your service. You can actually use it anywhere you want because your wireless company is providing the service (you do not have to subscribe to that company's cellphone service, and just have the internet thing through them, but it more expensive to have just the internet service without their phone service). You pay monthly, just like with any internet service, but you pay it to the cell phone company who provides the service.

Anyway, talk to the guys at Circuit City that do the cellphone & computer sales. They should know what you need and the costs, etc