[ale] Quick DSL hardware Q... (slow answer)

[aaron]

Previously, Jay Finch typed into the ether:
> Well... It looks like Telocity/DirecTV DSL has finally updated their 
> database and I'm eligible now..
> 
> Guess what I'm ordering tomorrow to test out Cable vs. DSL?
> 
> Thanks again for all the feedback!

Just fired up my Telocity / DirecTVdsl connection yesterday.

Mostly in the plus column for their service...

I ordered the first week of July and just got their dsl modem Tuesday,
August 14. I know I had about 3 weeks extra delay in getting my order
completed, mostly due to the DirecTV buyout/changeover that started
right before I signed on; they even lost my initial order info, but
later managed to salvage my phone number and called me after 2 weeks
to re-register. I also experienced a little phone # tag and URL
misdirection trying to contact Customer service to straighten out a
small complication, but despite all that the customer service has been
pretty good and, in addition to email follow ups, I even got a call
back from a human being at one point! :-)

Getting the connection set up couldn't have been much simpler... just
plug in the phone, enet and (wall wart) power connectors, run dhcpcd,
open the gateway's URL page and click "continue". I'll note, though,
that the license info on the dsl-modem's setup page is outdated for
pricing and contracts, and all of the pages and docs are still branded
as "Telocity", so they have some other lag areas with the DirecTV
buy-out to work on.

So far the connection is performing a little better than the
Earthlink/Mindspring ADSL, but that's not saying much: the Earthlink
line has always been of marginal speed, and of late has ben down as
much as up. I had small hope that a different line and a different
modem setup would reduce my ADSL headaches. Instead, it just proved
what I had been suspecting: that my DSL connection problems are ALL on
BellSouth.

After trying ADSL through 3 different phone lines and 2 service
providers, and after many hours spent engaging a number of contacts
with customer service points and cajoling info from the 4 different
BellSouth service/install techs who worked on provisioning, I can say
with impunity that BellSouth's lines to my neighborhood are incapable
of carrying the DSL signals the company is promoting and selling in
this area. The phone wiring here is simply too noisy to provide
high speed access with any reasonable level of reliability, despite
being well within the C.O. distance specs for the service.

So now the challenge is to force BellSouth to bring their phone lines
in this area up to DSL spec. If anyone reading this has any high level
BellSouth contact info they can share to help with doing so, it would
be greatly appreciated. I'm also going to the Public Service Commission
with this situation, since it is my view that the User <> Provider <>
Carrier "middleman" communications chain has been employed by BellSouth
from the beginning to obstruct the process of problem resolution and
divert accountability.

If I do get the BellSouth line problems resolved, I'll probably be sticking
with DirecTVdsl/Telocity. Despite the couple if initial annoyances I
mentioned, I'm finding their customer service a whole lot more
Linux friendly, useful and responsive than EarthLink (in addition to
being significantly less time-on-hold consuming).

I do have the option of cable modem, but will only consider that
route with a 3rd party (non AT&T) provider. If anyone has info on free
market, cable modem service provider choices, please share. Between
the recent "AT&T Blocks port 80" thread and my insider view from
working for the corporate monolith, I'm not about to rely on AT&T
internet services.

peace
(after justice)
aaron





 
In the meanwhile, the anti-monopoly battles with B.S. DSL have become a
matter of principle.
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