Linux-Friendly ISP?

[Leon Goldstein]

Matt, Jay, Michael: thanks for the infill.

The big problem in my locale is that Century Link is using some local 
contractors for their internet service, and they are a bloody bunch of 
morons.

As I mentioned, I got interested in this when a friend told me he was 
going to try Century Link ADSL.  That was last week; he is still not 
connected.  That does not cover the 11+ hours my friend has spent to 
date in fruitless discussions with tech support.  He only has cell phone 
telephony, and I suspect his land line  to the junction box was 
disconnected.

That is obvious to me, but evidently not to Century Link's local 
internet support folk.  My friend has a techie due to come tomorrow.  
I'll bet the techie will find no continuity in the land line and tell my 
friend to call Century Link to reconnect.  (My friend already tested the 
phone jacks and there is no current flow in them; no indicator lights.*) 
That's how things "work" here in Dogpatch, NC, USA.

* A while back my telephone went dead.  I have a line tester and got no 
lights with the gauge plugged into the test socket in the interface 
panel.  i called the Century Link repair number.  After getting through 
to an operator and describing my problem -  no dial tone, no connection 
- the operator asked if I was calling from my home phone -  the same one 
I reported as out of order!

I had a devil of a time convincing here that the line between the 
interface panel and the telephone pole was dead.  Eventually a lineman 
showed up and removed the cover from the junction box by the street.  
Then my phone worked again.  It was a loose connection at a binding post.

This sort of thing can drive one to drink!


On 02/11/2016 02:38 PM, Michael Hipp via Linux-users wrote:
> I've used Century Link for some of my clients here in rural and small 
> town Arkansas. I think highly of them. Their support seems competent. 
> In a previous $JOB I knew some of their top execs and they are one of 
> the few telco companies that seem to *value* rural customers.
>
> If I could get their 3Mbps DSL here I'd run to sign up.
>
> They don't need to "support" Linux. They either just need to give you 
> a good modem-router or else you buy your own and put it on your side  
> of their modem. OS is irrelevant. There should be nothing to install 
> on your boxes.
>
> I wouldn't hesitate.
>
> Michael Hipp
> Outer Boonies, Arkansas
>
>
> On 2/11/2016 11:10 AM, Leon Goldstein via Linux-users wrote:
>> I've mentioned earlier that I'm still stuck in the breakdown lane of the
>> information super highway with dialup.
>> This may end now.  Apparently I can now get a rather slow -  3 mbs -
>> ADSL connection with my telco (Century Link.).
>>
>> For years I've been told that there was no DSL in my area and only after
>> upgrading of the telephone lines would it be offered. However, evidently
>> there are now fiber optic cables running to the nodes, and this now
>> allows sufficient signal strength and/or purity for DSL.
>>
>> First question: does this sound real?
>>
>> Second question: anybody have experience with Century Link and their
>> technical support?
>>
>> I have never used the only other broadband available to me - Time-Warner
>> cable "Road Runner"  - for several reasons.  Their cable TV service
>> stinks; I disconnected from their cable TV last year and put up an
>> antenna.  Whenever I've talked to TW about internet, I've asked if they
>> support Linux.  Usually I've had to be shunted to a technically savant
>> operator, and get the same reply;  only Windows and Mac OSX are
>> "supported."  So if I have a problem, the first question is "what
>> operating system do you have" and a reply of "Linux" will be answered by
>> TW hanging up on me.
>>
>
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-- 
Leon A. Goldstein
HP Pavilion DV8000
SuSE 13.1 Linux