AOL SIGNS 30-MILLIONTH SUBSCRIBER

America Online, owner of such quaint little businesses as Time Warner and Justin Frankel’s paradigm-shifting NullSoft, today announced that now has more than 30 million subscribers to its flagship ISP service.

That number represents a doubling of AOL’s subscription base over that last two-and-a- half years. It also means the Dulles, Virginia operation formed in 1989 by AOL Time Warner chairman Steve Case now takes in at least $718.5 million a month ($60 million more than before the company’s recent $2 rate hike), or $8.6 billion a year from subscription fees alone.

AOL contends that its powerful brand (thanks to relentless TV spots and CD-ROM giveaways) and continual focus on consumers has fueled its enormous growth. "Thanks to our members, we have built the world’s most popular online service, which has helped to improve the lives of millions around the world," said Case in a statement. "We will continue to strive to make AOL all it can be and to build a medium that we can be proud of."

The medium represented by AOL—the Internet—is the fastest-growing one ever. Indeed, after factoring out the giant sucking sound generated by this particular website, the Internet has already grown faster than television, radio and the telephone.

"We are committed to making the Internet as valuable as possible to our subscribers by staying focused on their needs." said AOL Chairman and CEO Barry Schuler. "In addition, we continue to expand our roster of strategic marketing partners to reach more consumers and to offer exciting new opportunities for mind control—er, exciting new opportunities for our advertising and commerce partners."