| A couple of factors are in play.
1) Distance from their central office. DSL technology loses signal strength with distance. Some ISP's won't supply DSL service to customers that are more than 20,000 feet from the central office. For the first 15,000 feet there is not much degradation, but longer than that they can only provide slower speeds. I'm told by an Engineer at Qwest/CenturyLink that their technology will work at 22,000 to 25,000 feet but only for slower speeds.
2) Quality of the phone lines. The ability to serve remote areas is often hampered by older wiring. Sometimes it is as simple as the gauge of wiring that was installed decades ago. Thinner gauges of wire hamper the signal. Also, if the lines have multiple splices it can degrade the signal and reduce the distance that the technology will work.
3) The key decision maker is the regional engineer. Many phone companies operate with a process where an engineer covers a geography and prioritizes the new construction projects. If you are outside the distance limits of the technology there may be cabling and/or the installation projects required to implement the DSL service.
Next step for you: Estimate your distance from the central office. If you are just slightly outside the 20,000 foot mark then there may be cabling improvements that can be made to get your service going. If it is more than 25,000 feet then you are talking about a major expense for ATT (ie $80k to $100k) to implement DSL for your location. If you don't know where the Central Office is, stop and ask an ATT service technician. Also ask the technician who the engineer is for your area and how to reach him/her. Once you have that information, compile a list of the potential customers so the engineer knows the service opportunity. A lot of times the squeaky wheel gets the grease, so stay after him. |
