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ineligble to receive DSL on Verizon landline ?

We have been awaiting DSL in a small rural area of northern Indiana since last March when an area installer told us we would soon be able to access DSL with Verizon. We have been an a so-called waiting list since then, and recently have seen the service installed in a very few homes within town borders. Repeated checks on accessability have yielded a "no accessability" message. I've had great difficulty reaching a live voice, but recently have completed two calls to a talk center in California. One lady went to her screen and said we're not eligble and not likely to be in the foreseeable future. The other lady said there were a number of scenarios including too many feet from the office to our phone, as indicated by a grid map. She said these people are working with "ancient" maps.which do'nt reflect rerouting at the time our lines were buried.

I'm confused by the number of versions on just how our lines are measured. I've been told that a signal was "pinged" off our computer [while connected]

and also by use of a map. I know a neighboring provider [Embarq] shows customers as far as 6.2 miles in a direct line from office to customer being eligble according to their site. Verizon says that DSL technology is the same for all providers. I can't find anyone who can tell me just how eligbility is determined, or how I can be sure of a right answer. Can I determine accessability myself ? Are there people from the company who could help, if they would ? I do know the highway right-of-way where we get our service was not even there when the earlier lines were strung.

Comments

HROTT

Same here (see "Local office no help" post from a few days ago).

As far as I can tell, they do not have the correct information and are either unable or unwilling to update it. I have been trying for over 1 year, especially over the past month and a half since in that time my neighbors on both sides of me have had DSL installed. To add insult to injury, UPS accidentally delivered my neighbor's installation package to my house today.

As far as the way the lines are measured, I was told that my original measurement (and apparently still the current measurement of record) was over 32000. Then I was told by the same person that another check yielded 5200. I asked what the difference was between his tests and was told that the 32000 was not an actual test on the line, but merely part of my service record and that was outdated and needed to be updated. For some reason he could not update this, even though he seemed to know the most about it. He said the engineers or oompa loompas had to do this.

Yesterday I had 2 fruitless live chat sessions and finally talked to someone in sales who was nice and knowledgeable. She said she was escalating the ticket and she though it looked promising and that I would likely hear from her in 1-2 weeks with good news. No offense to her, but I have heard such optimism from Verizon employees before and it didn't get me anywhere except weeks without a return call only to talk to someone else who tells me that it looks like I should be able to get it and they'll get back to me and so on and so on.

They're probably just too busy working on FIOS installations to care about DSL.

Provider7

@HROTT wrote:
As far as I can tell, they do not have the correct information and are either unable or unwilling to update it. I have been trying for over 1 year, especially over the past month and a half since in that time my neighbors on both sides of me have had DSL installed. To add insult to injury, UPS accidentally delivered my neighbor's installation package to my house today.
As far as the way the lines are measured, I was told that my original measurement (and apparently still the current measurement of record) was over 32000. Then I was told by the same person that another check yielded 5200. I asked what the difference was between his tests and was told that the 32000 was not an actual test on the line, but merely part of my service record and that was outdated and needed to be updated. For some reason he could not update this, even though he seemed to know the most about it. He said the engineers or oompa loompas had to do this.

First let me address the distance factor. You have to be within 3.5 miles from our office or some of our remote hubs...so distance is very important. When I say remote hubs, some require extra equipment to be wired to make the remote hub act like a central office. The distance is not measured by "as the crow flies". It is the actual cable length from the office to your home.

Regarding your situation, the oompa loompa Engineer has to update your line records to reflect that you are within range to be approved for Dsl... The business office cannot process your order until this is done. I would like to say this can be achieved over night, but I havn't seen this accomplished yet. I am an installer and will usually call the local engineer myself to see if he can escalate this process. I don't know if you have access to a local tech? If so, give him a call.

HROTT

Thank you for the reply. First I'd like to clarify that I was not calling the engineers oompa loompas, I was just trying to make a joke about not actually knowing who is supposed to be doing the work.

I don't have access to a local tech. If this is who is supposed to be doing the work, then this is who I think is the problem -- and that's what I meant by "local office no help." I did not realize that they are not associated with the local office.

So even though I am venting my frustrations here, I am going to wait 2 weeks for my phone call from the sales rep who is currently on the case for me. If she informs me that I cannot get DSL or if she does not call me back and cannot give me an update at that time, can you suggest the best person or department to go to next? Finally, when all is said and done, who does this local tech answer to? Who should I write my final letter of complaint to? I mean, you mention that this could, theoretically be acheived over night, but it has been since December 17 that I first asked to have my line checked and about 2 weeks now since I verified the actual line distance with level-3 support -- no evidence that the local has been doing anything during that time but installing my nieghbors.

Provider7

@HROTT wrote:
Thank you for the reply. First I'd like to clarify that I was not calling the engineers oompa loompas

I was only joking too... 🙂

I don't have access to a local tech.

By local tech, he will be the guy visiting your home. If you don't have any luck with the business office, you can cheat. Call in a repair, and when the tech visits, tell him your efforts to get dsl and ask him if he could get in touch with the engineer to make the record changes to your account. I don't have access to local numbers in your area.

skeptic

Provider, perhaps you as a Verizon employee can help me with a couple of my questions. I have been trying to reach someone from Verizon [possibly the district engineer] about the route of the copper from the central office to the post at the end of my lane. I have been denied service on the basis of line length greater than 3.5 mi. which was true many years ago.

It is my belief that in more recent times, possibly when the copper lines were buried, that route changed. I live on a corner of two intersectig roads and our service came off a country road. The entry line was moved to a post on a highway which may now be fed off a more direct route from the central office, certainly less than 18,000 feet. I cannot reach anyone who can tell me where I am on the line.

No one, including the coporate office, will even talk to me about it. A neighboring provider, Embarq has their exchange covered with over 20 DSLAM or remote office boxes. I think there may be one in our Verizon exchange. A nephew, who spent years in a hole splicing cable for them, and who has knowledge of setting up remotes, told me today that he thought all these providers were mandated by law to have DSL available by a certain date. He said his exchange had complied well ahead of the 2009 deadline. Does Verizon have a deadline ? Do they have a plan ?

A lady who spoke to me today from the corporate office said it could be years, if ever, 'till we got DSL. She said that Verizon is focusing on fiberoptic. Can they get the money to do that ? And do you know how I might find out where I am on the line ?

Provider7

Hi Skeptic,

It's been my experience that when lines are buried they generally follow the same path as the overhead lines. Any providers goal is to obviosly save money and one of the best ways do it is the shortest path possible. However there is always the possiblity it could have happened.

Verizon doesn't make it a point to tell anyone off the street how lines are run...primarily for security reasons. We would never want to jepordize our nation network...I'm sure you can understand that. As for the Dslam's. Verizon has them also, however it seems they place them in areas where they can re-coup their investment.

Time table for providing Dsl? Never heard of it, not to mention it would be impossible in some remote communities. Verizon is spending most of their effort as the rep mentioned to implement Fios nation wide. This project is a massive undertaking and a huge capitol investment. My gut feeling is our country folks wont' see if for a while as they target highly populated areas.

What can you do? Your best bet is to stop the next tech you see that has a bucket truck. These are the guys that maintain the cables in your area. If anyone can tell you the exact distance from the office to your home, it's them. If there's a Dslam feeding your neighborhood....they would know.

I hope this helps,

Walt

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