This “sync” process can occur once a day or continuously - it all depends on what condition the line is in. When a DSL modem runs into trouble supporting the speeds it is configured for, the unit will try to re-establish the connection. Many DSL customers do not really have an understanding of what speeds they should be getting from their providers, much less be able to easily identify when those speeds have declined. Unfortunately, if companies do not properly invest resources to maintain their legacy phone networks, service problems are bound to increase sooner or later. Even temperature variations between seasons can eventually corrode, degrade, or destroy fittings, connectors, or any number of vital components necessary for good service. Water finding its way into cables and connection boxes can turn excellent DSL service into no service at all during bad weather. Sammy the Squirrel could chew enough insulation off a phone cable to expose it to interference from radio signals. Badly managed wiring along the way can dramatically reduce the quality of your service.
In short, the further away you live or work from the phone company’s exchange (where your individual phone line eventually ends up), the lower the speeds that line can support, if it can support DSL service at all.
No guarantees on speed or access are among the most common, especially with DSL service which is highly distance and line quality sensitive. Most phone companies have always included detailed disclaimers for customers relying on a phone network envisioned more than 100 years ago for 21st century data communications. Data delivery over America’s aging copper wire, meant-for-voice-calls-network has always been somewhat of a bootstrapped affair, all the way back to the days of dial-up. Regular Stop the Cap! reader Smith6612, who is extremely familiar with the technical workings of DSL service, dropped us a note to report a disturbing trend of complaints from Verizon customers who are waking up to speed cuts that often don’t make sense.Īt issue here is the highly variable nature of DSL speed and how providers manage it for customers. Phillip Dampier AugBroadband Speed, Data Caps, Rural Broadband, Verizon 9 CommentsĪn increasing number of Verizon’s DSL customers are discovering their broadband speeds cut, sometimes significantly, by the phone company’s internal line testing “optimization” tool, designed to deliver stable DSL service over a deteriorating, aging network of copper phone lines.