Okay, maybe there is a broadband price war going on.

AT&T has upped the ante and is now offering free Wi-Fi to all of its customers who have broadband service — not just the select premium subscribers. That’s a pretty good deal for AT&T customers who can now visit any of the company’s 17,000 hot spots in Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, etc. to get Internet.

And while Verizon and AT&T are offering deals that get high-speed Internet prices down to $10 per month, AT&T also dropped the price of its starter package to $14.99 a month — no contract necessary. (To get the $10/month rate, you’ll need to commit to 12 months.)

That’s $5 less than the previous rate. If you’re a loyal AT&T customer paying the $19.99 rate, too bad. This is for new customers only who sign up by Dec. 15. The $14.99 price has a 2-year guarantee.

For this price, Internet speed tops out at 768 kbps, which is slow for broadband speeds but approximately 14-times faster than dial-up Internet. Dial-up users are probably a target audience for this new pricing.

And we know that many people are still using dial up. Here at the Register, we continue to have about 3 percent of readers dialing in to our Web site.  And my report last week on Earthlink mentioned that it still has 2 million dial-up customers — many who pay up to $21.95 a month!

The fine print: You must sign up before December 15 through an AT&T call center (which means calling 1-800-237-4589). You must order local home phone service (starts at $5.83 per month). Modem is not included. This is for new AT&T residential customers only.

More AT&T headlines:

• DSL down to $10/month from Verizon and AT&T
• My own list of free tech stuff online
• UPDATE: AT&T improves indoor cell signal … for some of O.C.
• How iPhone users can save money overseas
• Make Outlook Express work with AT&T e-mail
• Get tech help in your home from AT&T

Here’s some of the most intriguing Orange County business stories of the past week …

• 3M buys O.C. car-wax pioneer
• Self-serving froyo chains invading O.C., including Cherry on Top
• Get cable Internet in O.C. without Time Warner
• No plastic surgery for Sarah Palin, but maybe Botox
• First outlet mall in O.C. gives more details on stores
• Fairness drove judge to reject Broadcom billionaire’s plea deal
• $34.5 million Laguna home sale is O.C.’s second priciest

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