On 2018-12-27 6:09 a.m., Peter wrote:
On 12/27/2018 6:14 AM, devnull wrote:
On 12/27/18 5:15 AM, micky wrote:
Despite the stories I've heard about Verizon not wanting to fix coppper
lines, when I called last Wednesday afternooon, they came out on Friday
afternoon and it took* him 2 hours and he had to go back 90% of the way
to the exchange but he fixed it.* Got rid of the hum.


V repairs copper lines in areas where FiOS is not available yet.

But if FiOS is available, why bother?* Only a luddite would want slow
DSL/POTS over old copper lines.


If you lived in an area plagued by frequent and/or seasonal power
outages that last more than a few hours, you would feel differently.
We've lived in the same urban/suburban area and served by the same
electric company's infrastructure for more than 30 yrs.* Until a few
years ago, we would frequently (at least monthly) experience power
outages of 8 hrs or more, even on a beautiful clear day without wind.
Spring thunderstorms and winter ice storms occasionally produced outages
lasting many days.* Although our neighborhood had fiber optic service
installed early in the phase-in, we kept our POTS service.* The only
time we lost phone service was when VZ "accidentally" cut our phone line
while excavating in our easement to run their fiber optic cables past
our house.* (They promptly repaired the cut when I brought it to their
attention even though they denied knowing that they did it.)* A "backup"
battery on a digital phone line only provides about 8 hrs of standby
service and 2 hrs of talk time.* After that, the phone company takes no
responsibility.

Don't tell me I could get a generator or jury rig my own supplemental
batteries to keep the digital line alive longer.* Many of us live in
multi-unit condo or apartment homes where portable generators are not
allowed and are not feasible to use safely and where it would be both
unsafe and unsightly to install enough rechargeable battery power to run
the modem for a week or so.* It shouldn't fall on me to compensate for
the deficiencies that the phone company foists on us without our
permission.* Especially given their astronomical rates and profits.* As
is so characteristic of modern technology, when it works right, it's
great.* However, there's often features present in older technology
that's not preserved when the newer technology takes over.

In our area, AT&T chose not to replace their old slow copper lines
with fiber so Comcast ate their lunch.* I expect AT&T will abandon
their lines here in a few years.

where did you find condos in a urban/suburban area and served by the
same electric company's infrastructure for more than 30 yrs