[mdlug] Naked/"dry loop" DSL and Linux-friendly ISPs

[Robert Adkins]

Joseph C. Bender wrote:
> Robert Adkins wrote:
>   
>> I am being told by AT&T that I am unable to obtain their faster 
>> services, because we don't have Caller ID, Long Distance and other 
>> bullshit services that we certainly do not want or need.
>>
>>     
> 	Wow, you're being lied to.  Given it's ATT, this is not a big surprise.
>   
    Of course, that is why I am not surprised.

    Their level of lying is stupidly silly about this. We live less than 
two miles from their main switching center in the Royal Oak area.

    Their website won't allow me to "upgrade" my DSL Service speeds, yet 
the person on the phone says that I can, as long as I let them power 
vacuum more money, for useless services, out of my wallet.

> (Disclaimer:  part of my consulting practice is telecom consulting and 
> resales, but the following is not a commercial pitch, nor do I resell 
> for them.)
>
> You still should be able to get DSL through any ISP that has access to 
> SBC's DSLAM network.  WMIS.net is one that comes to mind 
> <http://www.wmis.net>.  While I have never used their services directly, 
> I do know a couple of people using them, and have chatted with their 
> admins in the past.  I also think they do not have issues with one 
> running servers, but you might want to verify that if it's important to you.
>   
    I wouldn't mind being able to run a server. One of these days I am 
intending on getting my photography business going and wouldn't mind 
hosting some of my own things, on my own server. That is neither here 
nor there though.
> 	We've been on WOW IP&C for a while now, and I've been extremely happy 
> with it.  The cable modem is also the VOIP-over-DOCSIS ATA[1], and I've 
> never had a problem with it.  It's got a backup battery to provide power 
> to the modem/ATA and the local phone loop, so if the power's out, your 
> phone is still up.  One fun fact with WOW Phone is that the backend is 
> actually provided by Sprint as a CLEC[2], so if you get voice-mails from 
> Sprint PCS users or other WOW users, the VM system uses their voice tags 
> instead of Caller ID when announcing who the call was from.
>   
    If we switched to Cable Modem, we would entirely drop the phone line 
in the house and stick with our cell phones for all calls. We really 
have no use for the house phone, other than to receive a few calls and 
phone the local pizza place.

    -Rob