Ten years ago, the Internet experienced a revolutionary shift when DSL hit the market. The high-speed access over telephone lines provided users a faster option to surf the Web than their standard dial-up.

As DSL and other broadband connections grew in popularity, many small Internet access providers struggled to make the switch and went out of business or were gobbled up by other providers.

Local Internet provider Sonic.net managed much better. It was quick to offer DSL and it continued to acquire users, which now total 47,000 homes and businesses across the state.

Today, more than half the homes in the United States are estimated to have a broadband connection.

Now, the Internet is once again undergoing a major overhaul. Large-scale service providers such as Comcast and AT&T are beginning to install the next generation of Internet hardware that promises ever-faster access.

Once again, local providers such as Sonic are faced with extinction if they do not evolve. In the past, they could piggyback on telephone company equipment. But changes in federal law are forcing Sonic and others to install their own hardware in cities across the country, and perhaps even bury their own fiber optic lines in the street if they are to stay competitive.

Sonic is transforming itself to function more like a telephone company. It will offer residential customers blazing fast Internet access -- up to four times faster than what Comcast and AT&T currently offer. And it will work with other small ISPs, providing them access to Sonic's hardware so these small companies also can survive the next evolution of Internet access.