Thanks for all the advice folks
Fobo: I have had my line checked and the gain increased, I have had my computer souped up from a 200Mhz processor to a 1g, I have increased the memory from 96 to 256MB, I have increased the hard drive from 4.3 G to 20G and I have changed the modem from a 28 to a 56k V somethingorother.
But even before the upgrade I was having trouble with the internet connection slowing down and stalling for a few minutes at a time. Since the upgrade the problem has become far worse and I am convinced that the machine is not to blame.
I have spent about £30 on the BT 50p-a-minute helpline asking for advice and I have spoken to various experts and been given various opinions. Some say "Don't touch BT with a bargepole," others have said the same about AOL and suggest that I must have been desperate to try to AOL 100hr trial!
One chum, who is a computer wizard at BT, says the problem I have described is typical of the service. He even has similar problems with his own Anytime connection at home.
I have been studying the options on that very good website Net4nowt and also looked at the similar broadband discussion forums.
It is time for a change.