I recently noted that, in the Jan. 24 New Yorker, media writer Ken Auletta offered the following aside in a lengthy article about the internet company formerly known as America Online.

 (AOL) still gets 80 percent of its profits from subscribers, many of whom are older people who have cable or DSL service but don’t realize that they need not pay an additional $25 a month to get online and check their e-mail. “The dirty little secret,” a former AOL executive says, “is that 75 percent of the people who subscribe to AOL’s dial-up service don’t need it.”

The follow-up: AOL spokesman Graham James told me today that he believes these numbers are inaccurate but said he couldn’t offer correct figures because the company doesn’t analyze its profits or its subscriber base in this way. 

He said there are “a number” of reasons those with cable or DSL internet connections might also subscribe to AOL, “such as for emergency backup, anti-virus support or for use when they’re on the road,” he said.

 Maybe.  But I’m guessing many of their customers are the same change-averse technophobes who still pay a monthly rental for their telephones. 

 The not-so-dirty and not-so-little secret that we need to spread around is that buying and installing your own phone is not difficult and that dropping your AOL subscription while still keeping your AOL e-mail account is a simple, 12-step process.

 So let’s make it our mission   to pass this link along to all our friends with @aol.com addresses, just to be sure they know their options.  If they don’t answer their email, maybe they’ll pick up their rented phones.