DSL (scary) question

[Michael Hipp]

Brad De Vries wrote:

  > Call the ISP and asked if DSL really is available at
> the address in question.  They said "yes it is".  I
> asked "how it was possible that you can provide DSL
> over Ameritech lines but Ameritech can't?"  The
> salesman said, and I quote, "because we have more
> powerful equipment."
> 
> My instinct is telling me to stay as far away from
> them as possible but I'm REALLY curious.  Do you all
> think I should follow my instincts or should I pursue
> a relationship with them (until they realize they
> can't provide what they promise)?

The phone companies tend to be very conservative with distances so it is 
indeed possible that another ISP could reach the spot. That said, 
however, speed and reliability is always a rapidly diminishing quantity 
with distance and line quality. Some DSL equipment will reach 50k feet 
with pristine wire - but you may be down to 128kbps long before getting 
that far. And what most of us would think of as "DSL speeds" are rarely 
attainable beyond, say, 20k feet.

Unfortunately, saying they have "more powerful equipment" is a dum-dum 
explanation. They may be ok to do business with, but I'd get some 
promises on speed (both up and down) and reliability. And finding other 
"satisfied" (or not) customers is the best to learn anything concrete.

Michael