Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : LAST MILE TECHNOLOGIES - Let's Discuss Them Here -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Herc who wrote (7181)	6/4/2000 1:30:00 PM
From: Frank A. Coluccio	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12823

Hi Herc, why are you back using V.34? Did the BLS dsl go down, or are you just "visiting"? smile Another question I have concerns those who acquired dsl service when it needed to be on a separate (2nd) line, and those today which come about through "line sharing." What are the inequitable issues that you would raise, whereby you suffer some degree of cost penalty now for being a subscriber of two lines? Or, are you subscribing to only one? Some subscribers who've gone with COVAD and RTHM in the past -- will they now be given any consideration retroactively? Curious, does anyone here fit into any of these categories? FAC

To: Herc who wrote (7181)	6/4/2000 2:06:00 PM
From: lml	Respond to of 12823

Herc: Who is your ISP? Do you have the flexibility to switch ISP under your present DSL contract? It is apparent that your bottleneck is no longer along your twisted pair but at a particular node, most likely, IMHO, your ISP's router or server. I've experienced the same problem at the ends of my pair recently. I presently "suffer" with an ISDN connection & connect to the Internet via PacBell Internet (PBI). In the two years that I've used my ISDN line to connect to the Internet, my effective bandwidth has dropped by as much as 30%. I've called PBI; they blame the ISDN folks. I'm smart enough to know my ISDN works fine; the ISDN have tested the line. I've concluded that the problem exists at the gateway to the Internet, namely that PBI has taken on volumes of customers over the past year by virtue of its relationship with SBC/PacBell and its DSL promotion to sign up as many DSL customers as possible in advance of more even-competition from the CLECs. On more than one occasion a PacBell rep has stated to me that PBI "has its problems." One rep told me that I when I initially subscribed to PBI, it had approximately 25K subscribers in the LA area where the servers I dialed into are located, & that this figures has increased by no less than 100K in the past year. So, has PBI facilities increased accordingly to accommodate such an extraordinary increase in demand? My guess is no, which is why we have recently seen this merger with Prodigy. Prodigy, IMHO, must have an army of idle or under-utilized routers & servers that would most cost-effectively be acquired by SBC's ISP operating companies through merger rather than outright purchase. Its a smart move, but IMHO indicative of the problem I perceive -- overburdened routers & servers. Your situation may be the same. So much for my conjecture, but the bottom line is that I have contracted for IDSL through another provider (& ISP) until Pronto DSL is available. In the future, I plan to avoid PBI unless I am convinced that my connection will not suffer in a manner not dissimilar from yours. Its all about identifying your particular bottleneck & taking steps to eliminate it. First step, obviously, is to go broadband, if you can get it. The next step is to identify what node along the path to the backbone is causing the "pinching" that is leading to a slower experience downloading pages. If the problem is on the backbone there's nothing much we can do about it. I view ISP's as the gateway, or "on-ramps" to the Internet "interstate" backbone, and a DSL as a private paved road that provides quick access to that onramp. But if that on-ramp is clogged with other cars that wish to get on & get off the "interstate" what good is your privately paved access? And if the "interstate" itself is one big traffic mess, well that's another story. JMO.