This one covers my attempts to get DSL…

So, when I registered kaelkicksass.com and theteppers.net back in January.. I thought it would be fun to actually host the sites myself (or atleast host the email servers for them). So, I check the local phone company’s website (Qwest …not that it’s really important to the story). They tell me that DSL is available in my area, but not for my phone line. Knowing what I do of the area, and approximate distances from the CO (I used to work for a company that provided DSL in this area) I figure I’m to far out from the CO (I estimated myself to be about 19000 or 20000 feet from the CO). While I’m looking around, I notice on DSLReports.com that Speakeasy is running a really good deal on what they were calling their ‘sys admin’ package (it included static IPs, 1.5/796 speed, free modem.. etc..) it was going for about 60 bucks a month (Only about 10 or 15 bucks more then I’m paying Comcast for cable internet) which I figure is worth it to run my own servers, not have a cap on the amount of uploading/downloading I can do… So, I go on over to speakeasy’s website, plug in my information, and get told there is no DSL in my area.. knowing that my zipcode changed not to long ago, I plug in the old zipcode and re-submit my information.

Hey… look.. they think I’m only like 12000 feet from the CO and eligible for DSL. The next day, I get a phone call from one of their sales people, asking if I was still interested in DSL service through them. I ask a few questions like “how accurate are your line estimates?” I explain my background and that I figured I was much further away from the CO then they are estimating. I let them know that my phone company can’t provide DSL service to me at this address..they tell me it’s no big deal and they’ll get me hooked up. I figure what the hell, and place the order.

Speakeasy places the order with Covad.. Covad places an order with Qwest to ‘share’ my line between Qwest for phone service and Covad for DSL. The order goes through and about a week later I receive my DSL router from Speakeasy/Covad. I plug it in, in case they get the service turned on early.. and no synch. So I wait another day or two for my actual Due Date. It comes, I plug in the modem and no synch. So I call up Speakeasy’s tech support people. They open a ticket with Covad. Covad sends a tech out to the CO to test there and make sure the connections are made. It works at the CO, so the Covad tech comes on out to the house and can’t get the modem to synch out here. He works with their tech support/install group and they finally decide that I’m TNF (Technically Not Feasible) and cancel the order. I ship back the modem and go on with my life.

A month or so ago, I found out that Qwest has got a Remote Terminal only like .5 miles from my house. Great! I should be able to get DSL without any problems now! So I get ahold of Qwest, they check my line.. nope still not qualified. I ask for ‘Line Conditioning’ (They send a tech out to see if they can ‘fix’ my line so I can get DSL, or possibly switch me to another pair of wires that do support DSL). A week later, I call back to get the results.. turns out, they can’t line condition my line, because they think I have DSL with someone else! I explain the whole Covad/Speakeasy thing, and they eventually get my line listed as ‘unshared’ so that they can request Line Conditioning again. I heard back today for the line conditioning… and I’m still unable to get DSL 🙁 They can’t improve my line, and there are no available pairs to switch me over to. So I get to wait, and I can request another check in a few months.

Now..the purpose of this is NOT to complain about Qwest, Covad, Speakeasy or any of the people I dealt with during this thing. It’s really to point out that people who are in areas served by multiple broadband providers are extremely lucky! I don’t like Comcast, I’d prefer to not have to deal with them at all. I only reluctantly have them for Cable TV (when we moved, I lost line of sight to Dish Network’s Satellite), and I’m not overly thrilled with their internet service.. I’d love to switch, but I can’t. Since I need to free up some available pairs so Qwest can switch me to them… I wonder if it’d be OK to go around and ‘accidentally’ cut some of the phone lines buried around here? (Note.. I’m not REALLY considering cutting phone lines to try and free up a pair..I’ll burn down a nearby apartment building…that’s less work!)

Maybe I’ll get lucky, and Qwest will expand their fiber based Choice Online into my area (with some changes to how its currently offered, so I can run servers off it)