I have to post weel qwick like a bunny -- my dsl is dropping like pellets this morning.
I thought it might be nice to have a dependable connection again, so I asked Speakeasy to help. They responded fast but, alas, they probably won't be able to help me. Actually they responded so fast that I was forced to restate (and rethink) what it is I want from them. In the interest of getting this posted in the tiny window of connectivity which I am now enjoying, I paste from my e-mail to Speakeasy:
[tedious beginning of e-mail omitted]
2. I do not want a new DSL installed, I actually just want to preserve my current DSL connection, which has begun bouncing me with increasing frequency lately. People at Rhythms (they installed it) say they can't help me because I ordered my DSL through MSN and that I have to talk to MSN about it. That would make sense, except MSN says they aren't providing my DSL, that my MSN account is a dialup and has never changed. That too is plausible, except for the fact that my DSL has been connected for over a year and is still connected right now at 864(down)/364(up) kbps. Nobody has ever billed me for my DSL connection -- not MSN, not Rhythms.
In a nutshell, I want Speakeasy to take custody of my existing DSL connection. It is not because I feel guilty about getting it for free, it is because I need to know who I can call if it goes down again, and doesn't come back up. Theoretically, this transition could be done at the CO, without any rewiring here, and without any outside line work by the phone company. I realize this may not be possible.
[tedious end of e-mail omitted]
WS_FTP Pro 6.05 2000.01.17, Copyright © 1992-2000 Ipswitch, Inc.
local chdir to /
- -
connecting to 144.92.108.52:21
Connected to 144.92.108.52 port 21
220 ProFTPD 1.2.0 Server (Maple FTP Server) [maple.ssec.wisc.edu]
USER anonymous
331 Anonymous login ok, send your complete e-mail address as password.
PASS (hidden)
230 Anonymous access granted, restrictions apply.
CWD /pub/data/
250 CWD command successful.
PWD
257 "/pub/data" is current directory.
Host type (I): UNIX (standard)
PORT nevermind
200 PORT command successful.
LIST
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list.
Received 6425 bytes in 0.6 secs, (112.73 Kbps), transfer succeeded
226 Transfer complete.
CWD goes12
250 CWD command successful.
PWD
257 "/pub/data/goes12" is current directory.
PORT nevermind
200 PORT command successful.
LIST
150 Opening ASCII mode data connection for file list.
Received 1233 bytes in 0.2 secs, (52.63 Kbps), transfer succeeded
226 Transfer complete.
receiving fg12_high.gif as fg12_high.gif (1 of 1)
Saving restart info for ssec - fg12_high.gif
TYPE I
200 Type set to I.
PORT nevermind
200 PORT command successful.
RETR fg12_high.gif
150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for fg12_high.gif (3474951 bytes).
Received 3474951 bytes in 14.8 secs, (2.25 Mbps), transfer succeeded
226 Transfer complete.
Oh my, but when it is fast, it is FAST. See that little delicious detail in this morning's FTP session log? 2.25Mbps. Oh yeah, I'm hard. But I fear it won't last long, and that is why I am typing like a fiend to get this posted, like the last wave of a swimmer in distress.
This is certainly not a complaint about Speakeasy. Indeed I have heard nothing but good things about them. But the logistics (and other details of which I am not aware) of DSL procurement in the cutthroat DSL market is prohibitively complex. I am expecting too much if I want them to reuse a perfectly good, tested, and working connection loop, and my router, and perhaps even the DSLAM at the CO. That would require too much of a departure from the polished routine which they have perfected, of getting people hooked-up and online fast. I guess I just want it my way.
I have been amazingly lucky -- DSL for free for over a year. This is not unappreciated here, especially now. DSL is my ONLY connection with the outside world; no phone, no cable, no TV. But I am addicted now, and I will do just about anything they want to stay connected via DSL -- even if it doesn't occasionally reach 2.25 megabits per second.
