Bell South DSL question
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Posted by Matt Simpson on July 12, 2006, 3:59 pm
Please log in for more thread options I'm in Kentucky, in an area served by Bell South. I currently can not get DSL service, because I'm too far from a CO. Bell South has some kind of "boxes" scattered around in rural areas, including one about a mile from me. I think these are some kind of SLC equipment, but I don't know any technical details. I think it might be possible to add equipment to these "boxes" to provide DSL to the lines connected to them, but I'm not sure. Recently, Bell South has been publicly bragging about how many new locations they've provided DSL to this year. I think that means they're installing some kind of remote equipment, but I'm not sure. In February, I spent 2 hours on the phone trying to find somebody who could tell me if there was any chance of getting DSL in the near future. Finally, I got hold of somebody who asked for my phone number, then after a short pause, said something about needing to swap cards in some equipment, and it would be 3-4 months. Now, 5 months later, I still don't have DSL. I'm not sure how much this person knew, and how much was just speculation. It's possible that she actually determined that my equipment was on some kind of upgrade schedule, that's just slower than expected. Or maybe she just determined that it wasn't DSL capable, and threw out 3-4 months as a WAG and had no clue whether there were actually any plans to upgrade it. I really don't want to try to work my way through the telephone maze I went through in Feb. I emailed BellSouth a couple of weeks ago asking if they had any estimate about DSL availability, and got no answer. Does anybody know more about Bell South's system, and what they're doing or not doing to provide DSL to more locations, and how I might find out whether I might see DSL anytime in the near future? There's no cable out here either, so I guess the only option is satellite, and I've heard bad things about it. Besides, I'd hate to sink the upfront cost into satellite equipment and have BellSouth turn on DSL the next month. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Ken Abrams on July 12, 2006, 4:06 pm
Please log in for more thread options I don't have any information about your specific area; maybe someone else does. Those equipment boxes can have all kinds of different equipment in them and the fact that there is one close by doesn't necessarily mean that your line goes through it (or even can). Alas, regardless of the quality of information you get from B.S., they are really your only real source of information. It is in their best interest to tell you as soon as it is available 'cause that means more money in their pocket. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Matt Simpson on July 13, 2006, 11:01 am
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> Alas, regardless of the quality of information you get from B.S., they are
> really your only real source of information. It is in their best interest > to tell you as soon as it is available 'cause that means more money in their > pocket. That's true, and I hope they will tell me as soon as it is available. I have filled out the web request to get notified when it is available. But it would be nice to get a realistic estimate of whether it ever will be available. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to call them and ask that question. If I call the number for DSL service, it asks for my phone number, and then tells me DSL is not available to that number, and does not give me an opportunity to call a human. In February, I tried to order dial-up service from them, since they were advertising features (modem-on-hold) that my existing ISP didn't have. FIrst I ordered it through the website, and it told me the order had been accepted, but I never got the service. So I called, and was told they didn't have a local dial-up number in my area, which is probably why the original order didn't go through. They offered to sell me an expanded local calling area plan, which meant I would pay a higher monthly fee and get unlimited dialing to an area that had a dial-up number. When I declined that offer, the rep tried one more tactic to snag my business: "Would you be interested in DSL?" I should have hung up. But I was feeling evil, so I said "Yes, I would love DSL". So then he checked and found out he couldn't sell me DSL. But he said I could find out when it would be available, and transferred me to another number which was no help but referred me somewhere else, and so on, until about an hour later I got the lady who said "3-4 months". Now, 5 months later, I really don't want to try to order dial-up service again, and hope that the rep will try to sell me DSL instead, and then get me started back on that same path where maybe I'll find somebody who will give me some kind of answer that may or may not be correct. So it's not really correct to say they are my "only real source of information", because they are not a source of information. It may be true that there is no OTHER source of information, but in that case then there is NO real source of information, because Bell South is definitely not a source. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by DLR on July 13, 2006, 1:23 pm
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Matt Simpson wrote: >
>> Alas, regardless of the quality of information you get from B.S., they are
>> really your only real source of information. It is in their best interest >> to tell you as soon as it is available 'cause that means more money in their >> pocket. >
> That's true, and I hope they will tell me as soon as it is available. I > have filled out the web request to get notified when it is available. > But it would be nice to get a realistic estimate of whether it ever will > be available. > > Unfortunately, there is no easy way to call them and ask that question. > If I call the number for DSL service, it asks for my phone number, and > then tells me DSL is not available to that number, and does not give me > an opportunity to call a human. > > In February, I tried to order dial-up service from them, since they > were advertising features (modem-on-hold) that my existing ISP didn't > have. FIrst I ordered it through the website, and it told me the order > had been accepted, but I never got the service. So I called, and was > told they didn't have a local dial-up number in my area, which is > probably why the original order didn't go through. They offered to sell > me an expanded local calling area plan, which meant I would pay a higher > monthly fee and get unlimited dialing to an area that had a dial-up > number. When I declined that offer, the rep tried one more tactic to > snag my business: "Would you be interested in DSL?" > > I should have hung up. But I was feeling evil, so I said "Yes, I would > love DSL". So then he checked and found out he couldn't sell me DSL. > But he said I could find out when it would be available, and transferred > me to another number which was no help but referred me somewhere else, > and so on, until about an hour later I got the lady who said "3-4 > months". > > Now, 5 months later, I really don't want to try to order dial-up service > again, and hope that the rep will try to sell me DSL instead, and then > get me started back on that same path where maybe I'll find somebody who > will give me some kind of answer that may or may not be correct. > > So it's not really correct to say they are my "only real source of > information", because they are not a source of information. It may be > true that there is no OTHER source of information, but in that case then > there is NO real source of information, because Bell South is definitely > not a source. It used to be a few years ago when every CLEC was installing Remote Terminals (RT) all over to keep the defections to cable down that BS had their lists of planned RT online. I'm thinking it was a mistake but they let it stay up for a while. But you might do some Google searching for RT or Retmote Terminal installations BellSouth etc. A remote terminal setup where they have to upgrade the chassis likely has a fully funded cost of $10k, give or take. That takes a lot of DSL customers to make it worth while. And if the issue is they'd have to run fiber to the RT, well that can really make it a long term prospect. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Posted by Ken Abrams on July 13, 2006, 8:19 pm
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> > Alas, regardless of the quality of information you get from B.S., they
are
> > really your only real source of information. It is in their best
interest
> > to tell you as soon as it is available 'cause that means more money in
their
> > pocket.
>
> That's true, and I hope they will tell me as soon as it is available. I > have filled out the web request to get notified when it is available. > But it would be nice to get a realistic estimate of whether it ever will > be available. > > Unfortunately, there is no easy way to call them and ask that question. I understand your frustration but I think you are making this harder than it needs to be. I do have some practical suggestions. They may, however, be of limited help. When you call the automated system, put in a number from an area nearby that you know does have DSL. That might result in talking to a human. Once a month, call the number for Residential New Service. Ask them. Visit www.dslreports.com They have forums that are visited by techs/other employees of most operating companies. You can often find information there that is virtually impossible to get by any other means. Maybe someone here can suggest the appropriate forum for BS in your area. If not, just browse the groups. You can probably pick out the right one. Good luck! | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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> went through in Feb. I emailed BellSouth a couple of weeks ago asking
> if they had any estimate about DSL availability, and got no answer.
>