Hmmm. Define outrageous.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Or maybe it's that when a consumer goes to a computer retail web site and does a search for "56K modem" it usually comes up with LAN business models which cost $2,000.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>You can find 56K modems- not necessarily name brand- for less than $80, but you might have to do some creative searching. Most online retailers will allow you to select your price range. Selecting a range under $100 will weed out the business modems. Also, you can go to
CNET and
search for "56K modem". You'll find new modems ranging from $30 to $100. There will be some for even less on the aution boards.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>Obviously, walking into a shop will yield more expensive modems.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>At that stage, $60-$100 for a new 56K modem isn't outrageous, but that still may not be affordable to you. However, there are a lot of people dumping 56K modems - because they or their offices are upgrading to DSL. If you don't want to shop around online, you can always ask around, because someone might have a spare they don't want.<:LINEBREAK:><:LINEBREAK:>That's how I got mine. ;-)