From: rich@example.invalid   
      
   Nyssa  wrote:   
   > My speed limitation (I've never gotten anything neart 56k!)   
   > is the crappy local phone lines. They were orginally GTE   
   > lines and now Verizon has them and does zero maintainance   
   > on them. Verizon is trying to steer landline users to   
   > a product they call "AirConnect" which is simply a home-   
   > based cell service. I was offered it just last month and   
   > told 'em no way. :P~~~~ Their cell service out here isn't   
   > all that great even if I didn't need an analog landline   
   > for dialup.   
      
   Don't worry, one of either:   
      
   1) A major storm taking out lots of wires; or   
      
   2) Verizon just asking permission to sunset the copper and being given   
   the go-ahead   
      
   And you'll be offered the two options:   
      
   1) AirConnect   
   2) nothing at all   
      
      
   And the "major storm" is often what prompts them to "ask permission".   
   They use the excuse of the expense to repair the old wiring as why they   
   need to now "sunset" it.   
      
   In my local area, they (Verizon) sunset the POTS copper circa   
   2019-2020ish.  One can still get "land lines" from Verizon, but they   
   are FIOS fiber connects with a either a small lead-acid UPS backup on   
   the side of your house, or a giant "battery box" that takes something   
   like 12 D size disposable cells for the "phone power backup unit"   
   inside the house.   
      
   But one simply cannot get the old, powered from the exchange, two wire   
   copper POTS lines here from Verizon at all.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)