The move will pinch users in rural or remote areas not yet served by broadband infrastructure or satellite internet. Around 175,000 households still use dial-up internet in the US.

The company said the service, synonymous with the early days of the internet, will be discontinued on Sept. 30.

The ear-piercing beeps, squeals, and buzzes of 90s-era dial-up internet will vanish from thousands of holdout homes in September as AOL shuts down the service.