Internetworkers: http://www.ibiblio.org/internetworkers/

["David R. Matusiak" <matusiak AT hotmail.com>]

www.dslreports.com
-has up-to-the-minute reviews (from actual customers). you can search on 
your area -or- via provider name.

strangely enough, speakeasy.net consistantly outperforms covad, yet they are 
really a re-seller of COVAD's (read: CO-BAD) sDSL service. i think they 
provide their aDSL/RADSL services outright, tho. also, they support users 
running services (servers) out of their homes. and they are linux-friendly.

i just got speakeasy 384K sDSL hooked up a week ago. so far, the service has 
been very good. they were a little dorky with the install, but thats pretty 
much what you get in this industry. they offer many packages and all of them 
can be upgraded to premium service (static IPs, dial-up acct, email accts, 
web space, etc). i would say this extra ~$10.00 per month is worth it.

the last DSL i had was Rhythms. they were very good as well (same exact 
service level). support was always a chore (for the few times it was 
needed), but again i mention that this is part of the fun with "today's 
broadband!"

i've heard reems of bad things about (but no personal exp. w/):
telocity
bti
bellsouth/verizon
earthlink
and i really couldn't (in good conscience) recommend things that are named 
"Number 1 DSL provider" and "GreatDSL.com" or any other friggin' name that 
sounds like a russian kid running an ISP off of someone elses hacked 
connection.

most of the problems with "lesser" broadband is the phone conglomerates 
(LECs). once they drop that copper pair to your house/office, they only make 
a maintenance fee from the DSL provider. thus, they have little incentive to 
make you happy (i.e. fix things, etc). also, this is why bell$outh likes you 
to use their lame DSL service.

addendum to last sentence: bell$outh is running a pilot program in atlanta, 
GA to offer business class service with static IPs. this is not here yet. 
they want to examine viability. you can get B$ business class up here, but 
the extra $$ only gets you a tad bit more service. a tad bit...

i hate TW/AOL cable modem service, but that is for religious reasons. the 
performance WILL dip as more people get on the circuit. and with the way 
cable modem is hammering DSL in the open market (hello DSL providers -- 
f***ing advertise!!), soon every tom, dick, and freeta will have cable 
modems in their house (and ted turner & that tard from aol will own your 
soul). other than that, all reports of performance i've heard are good. 
again, i reiterate -- EVIL!

now, concerning your desire to have a T1 dropped to the house/office. word 
to that! they will be out their fixin' it fast like a mothe--shut-yo-mouth! 
only problem -- they average around $1,500/mo. this may not be within the 
price point you are seeking.

i'd say go with a strong sDSL provider. iffin' yer close enough to the CO 
(central office) then you can get up to T1 speeds (1.5 MB up/down). the 
ranges are typically -
aDSL - ~128-144KBdown, who-knows-what-up (56K?)
sDSL - ~384K, 768K, 1.1MB, 1.5MB
RADSL - ~384Kdown/128Kup, 1.5MBdown/384Kup

cable - (supposedly) ~2-3MBdown, ~35K-256Kup

does this help any?
dave ;)
p.s. if you don't know how much pipe you plan on using, start with a lower 
grade sDSL (~384K) and as you need it, request upgrades. once you have the 
sDSL hardware, it is really easy for them to scale you up or down on the 
speed. this could potentially save $$$.

--
"when something breaks it makes a beautiful sound."
               -david berman
--
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