Friend of my wife's mom just started with Xanadoo, and I cannot say how easy it was. The main cost is the modem purchase, which is $107.00us, but with a 1yr contract, you get a $50 rebate, with a 2yr contract, you get a $100 rebate.
With initial signup you get a 3 month $3 credit, so it really is cheaper then Dial-up. Offside is, not every area may have the service available, so you may wish to check out http://xanadoo.com/availability.html
The plus side is, no software to install, just plug in the modem, connect your Desktop or Laptop to the modem, which you need to either place up high, or near a window, and open up your browser. We hooked the modem up to a Linksys WRT54G Router, and set for Dynamic, and no problems what so ever on the 128K service for $14.95/9.95 with 3/month credit. I threw out the map a long time ago. Now I go my own direction!