Yiu,
You wrote,

"If you have analog voice lines like most people your phone company will tell you 33.6k is the maximum consistent level of service."

My phone company, Bell Atlantic, absolutely refuses to say what modem
transfer speed my phone line is capable of, and they refuse to say what
speed I can expect if I order a new, better line.

Before I had my ISDN installed, I was getting 49,333kbs. When I was going through my ADSL installation process after I found I could get it, USWEST put me back on POTS and my Kbps went down to 33kbps. And then they did a line check and told my I couldn't get ADSL. USWEST screwed up there. They were wrong because I knew from the ISDN service how far, and what was going on with my phone line. USWEST, like other phone companies, won't replace strung or buri
ed phone lines. As the line ages, the paired copper lines deteriorates (Mine was 14% unusable). It was pretty bad. What they do is piggyback your phone line onto your neighbor’s line. It is called a UDC splitter. Have your phone company put in or issue a "Change of Order" ticket or a "Line Stasis Transfer" ticket to the technician to find you a clear paired copper line for your 56k modem (and or ADSL or ISDN). Normally, a technician will be sent out on a Trouble Shooting ticket and not have authorization to move or take you off a split UDC line connection.

Bottom line here is the phone companies are using splitters (UDC) on the phone lines to save money by not having to string or bury new wire. If you are on a UDC splitter, all you are ever going to get is 33k. Get on a free paired copper line and you'll get 49k plus. I'm now enjoying 768k ADSL. But it took two months of hell to get it.

Dave Witt
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