DSL's Back
And it only took SBC/Pac Bell 27 days (after I moved a mile and kept the same phone number) to get my DSL turned on. A co-worker just returned from a trip home to India and informed me that Reliance, the big Indian telecom conglomerate, now offers wireless (home) telephone service that they can turn on in 4-5 hours after you order it. Granted, wireless is simpler than DSL. But wouldn't you expect better service here in the NorCal Riviera, just over the hill from Silicon Valley, compaed to a land still notable for its crushing poverty and widespread corruption. (Sorry, apologies to my Aryan/Hindu/Punjabi/Tamil brothers and sisters. The corruption is just as widespread here. But it's better integrated into the system. No tacky direct bribes for us, just routine corporation transactions).

Part of the problem, I'm sure, is that I order DSL through Cruzio, the local ISP, who then buys the service from the local monopoly. I'm guessing that SBC/PacBell puts those orders in the back of the queue and services direct orders first. But I prefer being shielded from SBC/PB's billing system - you know, the one where they lose your payment and then threaten to cancel your phone service as well as your DSL unless you pay a estimated year's rates in advance. I'm pretty that particular class action suit is still ongoing.