PatientGuy
I'M Way Deep Into Nothing Special
Premium
join:2000-12-11
Arlington, VA
clubs:
| reply to lev
Re: NP Circuit Deathwatch: Up or Down?
said by levgroup:
Just because it happens to mesh with yours this time around is the luck of the draw. What they pulled in Florida with the First Amendment rights was an utter, bullying crock.
Yes politics makes strange bedfellows all right. Any enemy of Verizon is a friend of mine at least until the war is over. While I share your disdain for some of the things AT&T has done I am much more focused on Verizon and their lobbying for the Tauzin-Dingle bill. If the ILECS are no longer required to provide last mile service for Covad and other CLECS Verizon's behavior will make AT&T look like saints. I live inside the Washington DC beltway and I see and hear a barrage of advertisements on TV, radio and print urging Congressmen to vote "yes" on Tauzin-Dingle mostly paid for by Verizon. They are spending millions in an attempt to deprive you and I of any choice of DSL providers what so ever. The only opposing ads are largely paid for by AT&T. AT&T is one of the few companies with the where with all to fight Verizon.
If there is an evil empire in the DSL world it's Verizon.
I urge anyone reading this to E-mail, call, or write your two Senators and your district's Congressman urging them not to support the Tauzin-Dingell bill (H.R. 1542)
We can campaign against dealing with AT&T later, unless Tauzin-Dingle becomes law in which case choosing a DSL provider will be a moot issue.
[text was edited by author 2001-07-26 10:42:25] |
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lev
Napoleon is always right
Premium,Ex-mod 2002-08
join:2001-05-30
Chicago, IL
clubs:
 ·AT&T Midwest
| reply to PatientGuy
said by PatientGuy:
They are a bunch of two-faced mfs but they are the prime financiers of the fight against the Tauzin-Dingle bill, which IHO would be the worst thing that could happen to DSL consumers. I will cut them some slack for that.
---
Every modem that is sold on E-bay is potentially one less modem that AT&T will sell.
I won't cut them slack; it's in their own political best-interest. Just because it happens to mesh with yours this time around is the luck of the draw. What they pulled in Florida with the First Amendment rights was an utter, bullying crock.
I like the theory that every modem sold on e-bay is one they won't sell. I hope they refuse to allow people to furnish their own equipment and buy from AT&T though, as I think they're likely to do. I will do my little part to keep AT&T from getting revenue generating customers; hope you do the same. |
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PatientGuy
I'M Way Deep Into Nothing Special
Premium
join:2000-12-11
Arlington, VA
clubs:
| reply to lev
First let me say I'm no fan of AT&T. I canceled my AT&T long distance accounts shortly after the NP debacle. Since that time however AT&T has spent a lot of money fighting the Tauzin-Dingle bill. On the other hand they won a court decision allowing them to refuse opening up their own cable networks to competitors. They are a bunch of two-faced mfs but they are the prime financiers of the fight against the Tauzin-Dingle bill, which IHO would be the worst thing that could happen to DSL consumers. I will cut them some slack for that. As for keeping Copper Rocket equipment, it is naive to think that no one will sign up for AT&T DSL services if they are sold at competitive prices. If you find dealing with AT&T reprehensible I can certainly respect that position. AT&T is corporate scum for sure but then so is Verizon and they have a lot of customers. The bottom line is always going to be "who offers the best value" and AT&T has purchased a lot of excellent equipment, if they offer service at a good price I could hardly blame anyone for signing up even though I won't myself. (Many people have not been able to duplicate the service that the old NP equipment offered.) I also could not blame anyone for selling his or her Copper Rocket equipment should the market for them materialize because AT&T starts selling compatible service. Every modem that is sold on E-bay is potentially one less modem that AT&T will sell.
[text was edited by author 2001-07-24 18:57:57] |
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lev
Napoleon is always right
Premium,Ex-mod 2002-08
join:2001-05-30
Chicago, IL
clubs:
·AT&T Midwest
| reply to PatientGuy
said by PatientGuy:
If it's a Copper Rocket compatible it may be a paperweight now but eventually AT&T is going to start using all those Copper Rocket DSLAMS they bought and there should be a good market for used compatible modems.
Are you advocating rewarding AT&T for their part in the quick shutdown of NorthPoint by rewarding them with future business? AT&T is the same company that chose NOT to buy the existing customer base, leaving 60,000 small businesses and 40,000 residences in the cold.
They COULD have kept the customer base. They COULD have, in the interest of not pissing people off, paid the few extra million it would have cost to keep the network up for 30 days, to give us time to switch over to something more stable. I didn't see any move on their part beyond snapping up the equipment at bargain prices.
NorthPoint screwed up, and the largest of the blame lies with them. There's plenty to go around for the way things happened, but I wouldn't be a customer of any AT&T service that made them money.
Curious to know what your take is on this. |
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PatientGuy
I'M Way Deep Into Nothing Special
Premium
join:2000-12-11
Arlington, VA
clubs:
| reply to Anon
said by Chipinphilly:
back up and running with Megapath, but I can't say that I'm terribly impressed yet (or not).
Yeah, Your back! Few of us have lines as good as our old NP lines but almost any broadband beats dialup. |
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Anon | reply to PatientGuy
Just saying hi to everyone, that is, if there's anyone who still passes through here. We're back up and running with Megapath, but I can't say that I'm terribly impressed yet (or not).
--
Hello. My name is Chipinphilly. You killed my DSL. Prepare to die. |
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PatientGuy
I'M Way Deep Into Nothing Special
Premium
join:2000-12-11
Arlington, VA
clubs:
| reply to OaklandRobb
I think the prepaid box they sent you is probably a fishing expedition. I wouldn't send it back unless they really make a stink about it. If it's a Copper Rocket compatible it may be a paperweight now but eventually AT&T is going to start using all those Copper Rocket DSLAMS they bought and there should be a good market for used compatible modems. I hanging on to mine who knows E-Bay value may go up or I might be able to use it if someone is selling compatible service in the future. |
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OaklandRobb
join:2001-06-06
Oakland, CA | reply to John P Sheppard
I think I own my useless paperweight. I originally got service from Phoenix DSL. I paid $200 and they sent me a check for $250. Installation was free. But if you were just "leasing", then I guess it is theirs. |
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John P Sheppard
@207.103.x.x
| reply to JPCass
Just received a pre-paid box from DirectTV/Telocity asking for their dsl modem back.
Given Telocity's failure to meet its contractual agreement with me, the misinformation it provided for over a month promising to find another provider, and the numerous hassles caused by having to change e-mail addresses, reconfigure PCs, etc. I'm not very inclined to provide them with any assistance, and am weighing my options. Any thoughts?
OaklandRobb, my green light is still on as of this morning. |
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OaklandRobb
join:2001-06-06
Oakland, CA |  reply to JPCass
My green light on my IDSL modem finally went off yesterday. Of course, it has been useless for months, but I just wanted to see how long that circuit would stay live. Time to just unplug the whole mess. I just wish I had an alternative. |
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Robwhatup
join:2001-01-19
Mountain Lakes, NJ | reply to Network Guy
The guy talking about OOL, mosdef, the reason the support people r so stupid is because they are not needed the service is so damn good |
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PatientGuy
I'M Way Deep Into Nothing Special
Premium
join:2000-12-11
Arlington, VA
clubs:
| reply to BDStreet
Re: IDSL is holding on, wonder why?
said by BDStreet:
Look to »www.Broadstreetcom.com for more info on them.
Do not post spam in this forum! Breaking DSLR rules does not say good things about your company. I think the people in this forum have had about enough of sleazy ISPs. |
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BDStreet
@broadstreetcom.com
| reply to Anon
[Moderator note--Companies spamming their info on this site is not appreciated.]
[text was edited by moderator] |
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PatientGuy
I'M Way Deep Into Nothing Special
Premium
join:2000-12-11
Arlington, VA
clubs: | reply to mallomar
Re: PatientGuy - Your IBS Mail Still Up?
Definitely the way to go. Some folks like Chipinphilly still don't have broadband service. I was lucky in that I had a backup DSL line. Even one day of 56K will teach you the value of broadband. You don't know how spoiled you are until it's gone. |
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mallomar
join:2001-04-11
Silver Spring, MD
| reply to PatientGuy
Thanks for explaining the Kbps/KBps thing. I checked my download speed at the Verizon page and it was about 800 Kbps.
My DSL speed from IBS was 384 (Kbps, right?), so my downloads are faster. Uploads are sometimes slower than my old dial-up modem (28.8)! But I can live with that.
One really good thing about getting cable modem is that they were able to install it the day after I called (I called the Sunday after Northpoint made their big announcement). So I had cable modem service up and running a week or two before the Northpoint lines actually shut down.
The other good thing is that I didn't have to sign any contracts or pay in advance. And I can cancel at any time. So it was a really low-risk (actually, no-risk) proposition. |
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PatientGuy
I'M Way Deep Into Nothing Special
Premium
join:2000-12-11
Arlington, VA
clubs:
| reply to mallomar
said by mallomar:
Speed 751(down)/304(up) kbps
Those are good speed for the money you're paying. DSLR speed test reports in Kbps, (usually lower case b) that is thousand of bits per second. The other measurement is KBps(usually uppercase B) which is thousands of Bytes per second. 8 Bits make up a Byte. So if your browser for instance says your downloading at 40 KBps multiply that number by 8 and you get 320 Kbps. Why do they use differing measurements? Long story. How can you tell. Plausibility test is the quickest way. Bits are usually only used when talking about transferring data over telecommunications equipment like modems and DSL lines. Everything else is going to be in Bytes. You can use this link to run a Verizon download speed test that will give you the results in Kbps and KBps. |
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PatientGuy
I'M Way Deep Into Nothing Special
Premium
join:2000-12-11
Arlington, VA
clubs:
|  reply to Anon
It's amazing but my IBS mail account is still up too. Sounds like they're wary of the courts to me. Your Megapath 384/384 service sounds good. I'd keep it if it's not too expensive. Is it Covad, Rhythms other? I don't know much about cable from personal experience. All I know is what I read on DSLR. It seems like cable service varies widely depending on the area. Some people have outrageously fast service for dirt cheap. Some have really awful service that's not so cheap. I'd stick with you SDSL line. If it's like most SDSL it's pretty steady. Plus it's installed and working which seems to be half the battle.
It's nice to run into some old friends rattling around this ghost town BTW:). Keep in touch. |
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mallomar
join:2001-04-11
Silver Spring, MD
| reply to Anon
I had Comcast @home cable modem service installed a few days after IBS notified us that we'd be losing our residential DSL service.
Cable modem's not great, but the price is right (they're increasing the prices on July 1) -- $32.95/mo plus $7/mo cable modem rental.
Speed varies wildly. Recent DSLREPORTS speed test results:
Speed 751(down)/304(up) kbps
But in my ignorance, I don't really know what the numbers mean in relation to the maximum speed the cable modem people talk about. They say the max upload speed is 128, so I don't know how I'm getting 304, unless I'm comparing different units of measurement.
Cable modem tech support is not so hot (although anything's better than IBS's tech support). A couple of days ago I spent several hours (yes, hours) on the phone with at least four different technical guys before one of them determined that there was a service problem in my area, nothing wrong with my own setup, and I would just have to wait until it was fixed.
Anyway, I'm not sure I had any other options, since Covad isn't available here, and I can't afford business-class (i.e., expensive) DSL service. I still keep a basic dial-up account alive, for those times when the cable modem service is on the fritz.
Mallomar |
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Anon | reply to JPCass
Been a while since I've been on, and I wanted to check in and see what the latest is. My IBS Mailbox is still receiving messages. I was curious if any IBS refugees had been cut off from their mail or not.
I'm now up with Megapath. 384/384, single IP, for $139/MO. I've yet to submit the expenses to my employer for the new ISP, and pray that they won't have a Myocardial and deny it to me.
I'm thinking about cable, as it just became available in my area, but I really don't want to venture into the shared-bandwidth arena. They are trumpeting "1.5 Meg download speed", but that's only if you are the only one using it. Anyone have any comments on cable? I have a feeling that I may have to switch eventually, and nothing else reasonable is available in my area.
At least I'm back up with a fat pipe. Man, did I go through some dialup-withdrawals!
JCB |
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dhibbeln
join:2000-09-10
Hackensack, NJ | reply to JPCass
Re: NP Circuit Deathwatch: Up or Down?
Does anyone have comments on service from COVAD via UUNET? |
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