The cost of your broadband connection is generally made up of two separate charges - a set-up cost(also referred to as installation cost or connection fee) and then a monthly fee.

Setting up broadband - from an ISP's point of view - generally consists of administrating the connection, supplying you (the consumer) with some kind of broadband modem and possibly - if you need a cable connection or a new phone line - sending an engineer round to get you set up.

The good news is that broadband is a competitive marketplace, and so most providers won't charge you a set-up fee or will offer free installation as a special offer.

A handful of providers do charge set-up fees - do check this, and make sure that you're either getting something special (like a super-fast connection), or that the monthly fee is sufficiently good value to compensate.