That's an interesting point. Technically, they have not banned me as an individual, but rather the server I use. Therefore, if I merely change my server, then I am not really being banned anymore, am I? It's the name which they are banning, not the human.
Hm. Interesting point, indeed. It really depends on what the intention was when the ban was set, I'd say.
- The channel owner or operator who banned your entire ISP did so as a last resort to keep a problematic user out of the channel. Therefore the ban wasn't meant to keep you out.
-OR-
- The channel owner or operator who banned your entire ISP did so because they believe every user using that ISP is a pain in the ass / not worth dealing with / whatever. Therefore, as an user of that ISP, the ban was meant to keep you out.
But you can't know that [1], so the point is moot.
Anyway.
You've mentioned channels banning the entirety of AOL in your first post of this thread, and that being "wrong" - I'm an IRC operator, and believe me, 99% of AOL users I've seen are rude / idiots / demanding asshats / a combination of those and more negative qualities you can think of. In addition, AOL has a fully dynamic host, it changes every time somebody reconnects. So if a person who is on AOL and needs to be banned because they're rude / disruptive / spamming / flooding / whatever else is clever enough to change their ident and nick, the ONLY way to keep them out is banning AOL as a whole. I'm betting that's also what happened with your ISP, which I also recall as being quite dynamic in its host assignation. (If you're telling the truth and you're caught in a wide ban, that is - but I'm assuming you're telling the truth.)
As people have already stated, if you really want to get in that channel, contact one of the operators of the channel. (Do a /names #channel to find an operator.) Be polite and explain your situation, and ask if they can lift the ban or set you up with a ban exemption. If they refuse, simply move on.
You have nothing to lose by asking politely.
[1] Well, you can. You can contact a channel operator and ask if they can lift the ban or set you up with an exemption. If they do it, the ban wasn't meant for you and they're willing to solve the situation. If not, they still want you out. Such is IRC.
