[comp.dcom.telecom] Very Noisy Residential Phone Lines

Mitch Wright <mitch@hq.af.mil> (08/03/90)

My home phone line has been giving me a tremendous problems.  I have
connected several computers (C-64 thru Sun386i), and a variety of
modems to boot.  All of them pick up on the static in the line.  I
have called the phone company and they have sent out technicians
several times.  A filter has been installed on the line, and now the
*voice* quality is just fine, but my modem[s] still find the line to
be much too noisy.  My throughput is 400bps at 2400bps.  As you can
guess, this is VERY frusterating.  I can remove the noise characters
by switching to MNP, but the throughput is still 400bps, which is
basically useless.  Funny thing is, I call number 111-1111, and I get
a noisy connection, I call up the local TAC 222-2222 and the line is
just fine.  At least 100 people dial the 111-1111 number and have NO
problems, except one other poor soul within the same exchange as me
(765).

After going through the run-around of being told I can upgrade my
service to a data-line by one office, and the next office says that I
can't do that, but I can have a dedicated circuit (Yeah right $!$!$).

I *WAS* thinking about subscribing to UUNET, but if my line is this
noisy and the phone company is obviously (and admittedly) not willing
to fix the problem, it would be a waste.  Now for my questions:

o  Has anyone else had this type of problem?  How did it get resolved?
o  The phone company says that they can only guarantee the voice quality
   on residential lines without having a dedicated circuit -- Is this
   true, or have I run into yet another phone co. employee with the
   wrong facts?
o  Will an RJ45S really help? 
o  Any suggestions on how to get the phone company track down the bad
   circuit and I fix it, assuming that's the problem.  It is obviously
   not a problem with my home connection -- or with the destination, it
   is likely a switch in between.

Any Help / Suggestions with be GREATLY appreciated.  


mitch
mitch@hq.af.mil (Mitch Wright) | The Pentagon, 1B1046 | (202) 695-0262