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Re: [OM] OT Internet connection speed

Subject: Re: [OM] OT Internet connection speed
From: Ken Norton <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:11:02 -0600
> It's not just loop length, but (especially with old loops) phantom taps
from abandoned service, condition of splices and/or moisture in the
junctions/splice sleeves, state of the insulation, presence of loading coils
that should have been removed, etc.

Taps and loads are always needing to be pulled. Failure to remove taps is
strictly the fault of laziness and improper work-ethic. Idiots exist in
every industry...


> Now you are talking about the Telco copper here. I was also told by a
lineman who got my phone running again long ago that the particular
 equipment on poles in my area simply didn't last all that well over the
decades. He said he merely touched my pair a couple of junctions away, and
it fell away from the push down, corroded/broken.

Arial cable has a shorter lifespan than buried, but isn't as prone to
backhoe-fade. Corrosion happens. Easy to repair and common maintenance.
General cost-of-doing-business. Unfortunately, replacement costs for the
"local-loop" have gone up so much in the past decade and revenue
per-subscriber has declined so much that we can not afford to replace unless
dead. We don't replace switches every 20 years anymore either. Don't need
to, though. Technology has finally matured.


> I say simply Telco 'cause it's been AT&T, PacBell, SBC, then AT&T again.
the names have changed, but the copper hasn't.

I'd suggest that consolidation of the industry isn't healthy, but my
employer (which is swallowing up other telcos like salted peanuts) might not
approve.


> I hear AT&T is now starting to run fiber and it will be here any year now.
:-)   In the meantime, the cheapest ComCast internet is much faster than the
DSL I can get.

It is now less expensive to run fiber than copper. But unless you have a
greenfield installation, replacing existing copper plant is astronomical due
to the replacement of support electronics.

A ILEC Telco is a "carrier of last resort". This means that if you need ANY
product (service) in the catelog the Telco MUST deliver to ANY location
within the exchange boundary. Of course, that might mean a hefty up-front
installation charge, but then the monthly rate is fixed. Did you know that
you can still order a telegraph circuit? Those don't work too well over
fiber. I can deliver that over fiber, but it requires about $10,000 to do
it, compared to $50 on copper.

Cable-TV companies have no such requirement. They get to run their network
to where the population density is. They rarely provide service outside of
the city limits and get to raise rates faster than the health-insurance
companies.

Before too long, though, there will be a new sheriff in town. 4G is going to
be a game-changer. So far, I think there is only one cell carrier that
understands this. And it ain't who you think it is.

AG
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