Re: What to do when your ISP off-shores tech support

[Eddie <eddies () softhome net>]

Matthew Black wrote:
> On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:10:33 -0800
>  Etaoin Shrdlu <shrdlu () deaddrop org> wrote:
> > Matthew Black wrote:
> >
> > > On Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:51:41 -0800
> > >  "Tomas L. Byrnes" <tomb () byrneit net> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Cox Communications has fully on-shore support. Here in SD they are
> > > > actually LOCAL.
> >
> > > In Verizon land, residential customers do not have
> > > CLEC voice or DSL alternatives. We do not have Cox.
> > > Our area is served by Charter Communications who has
> > > the broadband cable monopoly. Verizon has the fiber
> > > monopoly with their FIOS. AT&T fiber is not possible
> > > in Verizon land. Nobody competes against Verizon for
> > > residential service in Southern California.
> >
> > Sir, both COVAD and DSLExtreme beg to differ. Seriously. I just checked.
> >
> > -- 
> > The histories of mankind are histories only of the higher classes.
> >
> > Thomas Malthus
>
>
> Going through COVAD's interactive DSL chooser,
> there are no options for RESIDENTIAL service.
>
> <http://covad.com/web/index.html>
>
>
> DSLextreme is charging a higher price than Verizon
> and I suspect they are simply reselling Verizon's
> DSL rather than connecting my copper to their
> network. That's hardly what I consider CLEC service.
> I could be wrong and would switch if I could. But I
> don't see them offering voice and that's why I conclude
> they are reselling Verizon's DSL service.
>
> matthew black
> california state university, long beach

I have 25 DSLExtreme lines along with 3 other providers in businesses
all around the SoCal area. The local loop is whatever the telco is, but
the network is their own.

The service was better a few years ago, but it's still far exceeds what
the big telco provides. The DSLX techs know their stuff and only once
did I have a tech not believe me. On the last call, the tech asked me if
I checked the DSL filters and I told them I had a hole house Selco box
at the MPOE and ran a dedicated cat5 wire as the phone like for the DSL
modem. The tech understood what I had did. No ATT, SBC, or Verizon tech
has ever understood that.

For one location, because of the distance, I had to order an IDSL line
from Covad (SBC owned the wires). I ran a cat5 drop from MPOE to the
office to make the tech's job easier. (yes I use cat5 for phone and
everything. Why not?)

Well, the install date came, the Covad tech came out and installed it,
but left with it not working.

So the blame game went on between SBC and Covad for 2 months before a
time could be arranged when both could be at the location at the same time.

When Covad connects the DSL modem to the pair at the MPOE the modem
makes a hissing sound. Covad proclaims the pair is bad. SBC guy says the
pair test good. SBC swaps to a new pair, but hissing remains. During
this time they are both on hold to the same call center, with their cell
phones on speaker. It was the same on hold music so it was sort of like
listening in stereo.  Both basically sat around for 3 hours on hold
until the SBC guy gave up and left. Covad guy's phone battery went dead
10 minutes later. Nobody ever got a tech on the phone.

To prove that the hissing noise was causing the problem, Covad guy
connected his laptop up and quickly got on the internet. Everything was
working fine. I guess nobody checked 3 hours ago and just assumed it
didn't work.

He tossed me a box with the modem and left. I was left to punch down the
phone lines and put the modem in the office. It was then I discovered
IDSL has about 130 volts running in the lines. Outch.

The IDSL line stopped working 2 years later so I replaced it with an
EVDO modem. Been fine since.

ATT is worse. I had a DSL guy install the DSL in a vacant abandoned
building twice. The business moved down the block, but the ATT guy just
went to the old building again and again. it took 4 months for that ATT
install.

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