OT: Finding Out Verizon's Upgrade Plans?

[Frank Hagan]

Any way to find out what a telco's upgrade plans are? So far, I have tried phone calls and web site searches to no avail, including searches of the government agency that oversees them. I did find Verizon's page for updating the commercial switches and servers for their ISDN lines, but nothing for residential phone service.

Working from a dial up connection is becoming very depressing ... I may have to close up shop if things don't improve.

[Buddha]

The first year I had DSL was a living hell. They moved a little green box that my line went through --- yeah it took a YEAR! Here's my suggestion go through your neighborhood and see if you can find a Verizon Guy/Gal working on a box and ask some questions. They usually know more than anyone in the out sourced call center.

[Frank Hagan]

Good idea ... I'll have to find one! They may know the scuttlebutt about upgrade plans.

That's exactly how I found out why the lines were so bad ... finally talked to a technician in the field, who told me about the long lines from the CO and the load they induced to keep the voice quality OK. Since voice quality is the main reason for the phone lines, it doesn't matter that the data quality goes way down. (Its an interesting issue; when it rains, I can pick up the phone and press "1", and hear a local Spanish language radio station).

[mikesm]

Frank you need a cable modem!

Thanks,
Mike

[Frank Hagan]

Adelphia tells me it will cost close to $70 a month because I don't subscribe to cable (I have the Dish Network, and hate to give it up ... I have the east and west coast network feeds grandfathered into my account, which you can't get anymore under the new law.) But I may go ahead and do that ... dial up is killing me!