DSL without paying for a land line?

[Tostada]

I use my cellphone for everything, so I don't have any reason to pay for a land line. I can get DSL for $20/mo, though, so I was just wondering if it was possible to get DSL without actually paying for the land line. Like, say I had my land line activated and then got DSL, then told them I didn't want the phone service anymore, would the telco just flip a switch and my DSL would go away, too?

 

[Madwand1]

It certainly is possible where I am, and may be possible or even legally required as a possibility where you are. Check -- the local phone service provider will probably not want you to consider this option, but your wireless provider might (assuming they're different), and your ISP, again esp. if they're not the same as the phone sevice provider, would.

 

[Tostada]

Cool. I guess now the problem is that I can supposedly get Yahoo DSL for $12.99/mo, but that only applies to online orders, and to place an online order I need to type in my phone number for them to see if DSL is available. If I click on "not a current AT&T customer," it just boots me back to the main page. If I type in a random number from the apartment complex, it says "DSL is available!" but then when I try to order the $12.99 package, it magically changes the price to $34.99/mo.

So I called up Yahoo and they finally told me that the $12.99 is only for people who have AT&T/SBC for their land line, and otherwise it's $34.99/mo -- and after shipping and buying their modem, the first month is actually $97.93.

What a great deal.

 

[JackMDS]

The physical line that DSL comes in was layed by someone, it need to be maintained, need to be alive, and supported at the D-SLAM.

Basic service Phone is basically the payment for these aspects, any reason that you should Not pay for it?

:sun:

 

[Madwand1]

Because he doesn't need the additional voice and long distance services? There are multiple parts here, and no reason to suggest that the original line layer is not being paid at all -- of course they would be being paid fees on an ongoing basis, probably via a third-party ISP / additional charges for this configuration. These services exist, it's not as if they come for free.

 

[JackMDS]

So the ISP and says if you are paying for Tel. line you are paying for additional cost and the Telco will let us use the lines for ;ower fee so we can charge you $12.99.

You do not have Basic service we have to pay more to provide you the service, so you have to pay more.

I work very hard to find Free "things" and Free "solutions" and help people by posting here. But when the Free becomes unreasonable Entitlement it is really "Silly".

:sun:

 

[Tostada]

I never said I was entitled to free DSL, or even $12.99 DSL. That doesn't mean it's not ridiculous to jack the price up from $12.99 to $34.99/mo. After all, if I did want a land line (and didn't get call waiting or anything else), it would be slightly less than $20/mo.

 

[bluestrobe]

Phone companies own those lines and you have to pay them to use them. DSL is only a communication carrier that uses lines owned by the phone company. DSL services that send services to "non-phone" homes usually pay the phone company owning the lines or they have a contract that allows the usage.

 

[Twr1]

DSL without paying for a land line?

Yes and No.... It's called Naked DSL, Dry Loop or Virtual Dry Loop depending on the Company and the Service Rep. Verizon has rolled out Naked DSL in some parts of the country (not mine), SBC/At&t has 12 months from the time of the merger to do it. So far they haven't yet. Naked DSL has a different pricing structure, more expensive than DSL but less expensive than DSL with a "wet loop". They still get their money....

The closest thing you can get to Naked DSL from SBC/AT&T is "Measured Service" if it's available in your area. It is a pots line with a small monthly fee and charges per call. You could then add DSL to this. You have to call a service rep to request this and find out the pricing in your area.

It's been 6 years since I've had a "telephone" in my house although I pay for 2 seperate lines. I also, have no need for an aplliance that I'm only around for 20% of the day when a cellphone is usable anytime anywhere.

Heck, I don't even know what my phone number is.

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: bluestrobe
Phone companies own those lines and you have to pay them to use them. DSL is only a communication carrier that uses lines owned by the phone company. DSL services that send services to "non-phone" homes usually pay the phone company owning the lines or they have a contract that allows the usage.

Very true, and this aspect by itsef cost more because in such cases there is a need maintain follow-up, transfer special funds, keeping more complicated books, and having constant communication, etc. All of this activities need more workers, and work costs money.

Unfortunately a lot of people understanding of business come from flipping Burgers in your local Fast Food chain, and people who want ?free? usually do not volunteer to work for Free.

:sun:

 

[Tostada]

Originally posted by: JackMDS

Originally posted by: bluestrobe
Phone companies own those lines and you have to pay them to use them. DSL is only a communication carrier that uses lines owned by the phone company. DSL services that send services to "non-phone" homes usually pay the phone company owning the lines or they have a contract that allows the usage.

Very true, and this aspect by itsef cost more because in such cases there is a need maintain follow-up, transfer special funds, keeping more complicated books, and having constant communication, etc. All of this activities need more workers, and work costs money.

Unfortunately a lot of people understanding of business come from flipping Burgers in your local Fast Food chain, and people who want ?free? usually do not volunteer to work for Free.

:sun:

In my day, we didn't have broadband! We had a 300 baud Hayes-compatible brick in the back of our Commodore 64s, and it took 5 minuts for a 40-character line of text to come across CompuServe. That's how it was, and we were grateful! We worked hard and paid dearly for the privledge! We didn't ask for handouts! We printed out our ASCII porn on ratchetty line printers and prayed it didn't wake up the wife! Actually getting onto the McHenry BBS was just a pipe dream!

Anyway...

Have you ever caught yourself saying, "Get off my lawn, you damn kids!"?

I'm just sayin'...

 

[JackMDS]

Originally posted by: TostadaIn my day, we didn't have broadband! We had a 300 baud Hayes-compatible brick in the back of our Commodore 64s, and it took 5 minuts for a 40-character line of text to come across CompuServe.

LOL, when I migrated from mainframes to personal Computers it was not even a Brick. I actually has to dial the regular phone and put the Handset (Real Hand set no cordless) on some strange contraption with reversed set of mouthpiece and earpiece, I do not remember if it was 300 BAUD or less.

CompuServe? That was already modern; all we have was sloppy BBS' that were written in None compiled Basic.

Computers? Radio Shack Color Computer, and Sinclair working with an audio cassette as the storage medium.

:sun:

P.S. For pr0n you had to buy Play Boy.:shocked:

 

[Tostada]

JackMDS:

Acoustic coupler modem? That's awesome. I only remember that from seeing them used in Whiz Kids and Weird Science. I never actually had a 300 baud Hayes modem ... I just managed to borrow one from one of my dad's friends for a few days.

I remember feeling totally ahead of everybody getting a 1541 drive when everybody else was using tape...

Playboy? I must admit I'm not even sure how to use one of them. Where do you put it? Do you kinda prop it up somehow and ... well, nevermind. Seriously, though, Playboy used to be a legitimate magazine. My friend has most of the issues from the 60's. There are interviews with JFK, MLK Jr, the Beatles... I saw an original story by Isaac Asimov in one. A shame that lately they're mostly putting female wrestlers on the cover.

About the DSL ... It looks like in my area I'm stuck having to get a regular phone line, but I can get a measured line for $12.79/mo (charged per minute outgoing, free incoming), or if I bother providing proof that I'm poor I can get unlimited local service for $7.98/mo, then I can get the DSL for $12.99/mo for a year from Yahoo (but then it goes up to $29.99/mo after a year).

 

[bluestrobe]

I used to have a box full of "coupler" attachments. Never remembered what I did with them.

 

[dmcowen674]

Only Qwest (Idaho, Dakotas, Colorado) offeres DSL without phone service but their Customer Service is the pits.

 

[halfadder]

Qwest has sold a lot of their exchanges in the midwest to smaller telephone companies and customer-owned cooperatives. For many people living in rural or semi-rural areas, they are at the mercy of whatever the local telephone company offers. In some cases, this means screaming fast cutting edge DSL paid for by some federal communications grant, in other cases it means no DSL at all.

 

[ribbon13]

Speakeasy has offered it for a while. OneLink
http://speakeasy.net/home/onelink/

 

[ceves2]

DSL without paying for a land line?

Yes and No.... It's called Naked DSL, Dry Loop or Virtual Dry Loop depending on the Company and the Service Rep. Verizon has rolled out Naked DSL in some parts of the country (not mine), SBC/At&t has 12 months from the time of the merger to do it. So far they haven't yet. Naked DSL has a different pricing structure, more expensive than DSL but less expensive than DSL with a "wet loop". They still get their money....

The closest thing you can get to Naked DSL from SBC/AT&T is "Measured Service" if it's available in your area. It is a pots line with a small monthly fee and charges per call. You could then add DSL to this. You have to call a service rep to request this and find out the pricing in your area.

It's been 6 years since I've had a "telephone" in my house although I pay for 2 seperate lines. I also, have no need for an aplliance that I'm only around for 20% of the day when a cellphone is usable anytime anywhere.

Thanks for the info. I too did away with my home land line about 4 years ago. No need in paying $35/month for sales calls. I have been using cable internet through comcast for the last 5+ years. I just recently decided to move and found out after signing my lease at my new apt that only SBC/ATT offered internet service in my apt complex. I contacted SBC about the need of a phone line and the lowest package, yes a PACKAGE was $27.95 a month in my area. This included caller ID, call waiting and all of the useless features that I do not want nor need. I do not even own a phone that plugs into the jack! But that was the ONLY deal/package offered to me in my area. Then add the DSL service on top of that. So with SBC and their DSL it looks like I am going to be forced to pay about $25-$30 more a month for DSL than I did for cable.

When I inquired about SBC online prices, I was told that those prices did not apply to me because of the area that I lived in. I live in Dallas TX. You would think that a city of that size wouldn't be one of "those" areas that doesn't apply. Honestly I think their website is a load of crock.

I just don't like being forced to take service from a particular provider and that provider being allow to charge me what ever they feel like charging because they know we as residents of this apt complex have no other service choices. I have yet to contact the public utilities commission with questions about this, but I will.

And as for servicing the phone lines and paying for maintenance...I under stand all of that, but when I had Cable internet, the cable company didn't charge me full price of cable TV because I choose not to take cable TV from them or visa versa. They didn't charge me an extra service fee for maintaining and servicing the cable TV lines which were one in the same. I believe in paying for what I need and use. I don't need or have a use for a home phone. The phone companies are just trying to force our hands to keep home land line alive because so many people are dumping their home phone service for cell phones. What they should do, is offer a comparable monthly charge for DSL (including phone service if needed) so that they can compete with cable internet companies.

 

[vois2]

To the original poster: This is possible for $14.99 per month, if you are a returning or new customer to AT&T. You have to speak with the state-level (as opposed to national sales) sales office. For the midwest states, that number is 1-800-459-0443. You will be unable to get the $12.99 for the first contract year, but $14.99 is not unreasonable. Additionally, you must pay a $9.00 per month charge for the state-mandated line maintenance charge for any active serviced lines. You will have to press the issue of keeping neither local nor long-distance service on the land line. This is all for 1.5 Mbps service. If $23.99 plus about tax/fees of $3.25 seems too much, you'll probably have to jump up to the $40 tier or so for continued cable at 3 or 5 Mbps.