165,000 Sign Up for Free DSL Service

When it comes to high-speed Internet access, the public is seemingly willing to exchange its privacy for a free connection.

A week after Newport Beach start-up Broadband Digital Group offered free digital subscriber line technology, or DSL, service in exchange for a consumer’s personal information, at least 165,000 people have signed up for the deal, officials said late Friday.

The company, which says it will launch the free access April 1, is the first to provide digital subscriber line service to consumers at no cost. Despite a host of qualifiers, Broadband Digital has had an “overwhelming response from users,” said Ryan Steelberg, the company’s 26-year-old chief executive.

In exchange for the service, consumers must give out personal information, which will be sold to advertisers. And while the service itself is free, consumers must refer 10 other people--who must also sign up for the service--to get a free cable modem that will let them access the service.

So far, consumers are doing just that. Broadband Digital officials say registered users have referred more than 600,000 people.

The company hopes to register more than 10 million consumers by year’s end, Steelberg said.