Fusion U-Verse and an ISP that minds their own business

[Elliott]

Hello,

I'm currently an AT&T U-Verse subscriber, but I don't want to be. Bandwidth caps and their newly adopted 6-strikes rule make me see red. I want my ISP to provide the speeds it advertised and nothing more. I have a couple of questions that I'm having trouble finding answers to.

1) What is Fusion? DSL?

1) I do not have phone service, but I currently have a modem connected to the phone line. Can I get Fusion service without phone service? Does it also run through the phone line?

2) I'm in an apartment building. Does Fusion installation require anything from my building, or just me?

3) Does Sonic have bandwidth caps? I've seen that Sonic did not sign onto the 6-strikes idea, but the article said it was because "It wasn't asked to join" (by the RIAA and the MPAA). Would Sonic join onto something like that if asked?

Basically, I'm a net-neutrality minded citizen, I want Internet access the same way I want water access - un-messed with. Can Sonic deliver on that? If so, you might have a new subscriber - even if the cost is more. Yep, I'm willing to pay more to support what I think is right.

[wa2ibm]

1a. DSL is an overall description of Digital Subscriber Line service which endeavors to use a standard copper pair for digital communication. There are many variants of DSL. ADSL is asymmetrical DSL (download and upload speeds are different), and Fusion is Sonic's name for their ADSL2+ product that uses higher frequency tones for faster speeds, but which suffers degradation at longer distances.

1b. No. Fusion service comes with telephone dial-tone which is included in the product pricing. Both run over the same copper pair. AT&T phone and DSL services are priced individually, even though they too run over a single copper pair.

2. If you already had 'traditional' AT&T phone service and DSL, then it could be switched over to Fusion without any changes in your building. However, since you're on U-Verse, a new pair will have to be ordered for your Fusion service. This will require some work within your building to accomplish, which can be provided by a Sonic technician visit.

3. Sonic does NOT have any bandwidth caps. You get whatever speed you get depending upon the length of your copper pair to the CO (Central Office). That brings up another point: Your copper pair must be within range of your CO, it cannot have been served from a RT (Remote Terminal) prior to our conversion to U-Verse. Additionally, Sonic doesn't "buy in" to the *AA's programs in any way.

So, in short, please check with the pre-qualification tool to see if your address can be served by Sonic and how far from the CO you're located. If you get a GO from that tool, you'll be happy with Sonic's net-neutral service.

See: http://sonic.net/solutions/home/internet/fusion/

[polpo]

Dane on joining something like six strikes: "Hell no!" (viewtopic.php?t=489&p=2994#p2988)

[Elliott]

Hello again,

Thanks for the quick replies guys; It's looking nice so far! wa2ibm, I'm a bit confused by your second point:

2. If you already had 'traditional' AT&T phone service and DSL, then it could be switched over to Fusion without any changes in your building. However, since you're on U-Verse, a new pair will have to be ordered for your Fusion service. This will require some work within your building to accomplish, which can be provided by a Sonic technician visit.

AT&T's U-Verse here still results in my having a DSL modem sitting on my desk (It says ADSL2/2+). I don't understand why switching from AT&T's ADSL2+ to Sonic's ADSL2+ requires work in my building (What does it mean to order a new pair? Run new copper pair to my unit?). Could you please explain this more?

On a side note, I did check with the pre-qualification tool. It said I was ok at a distance of 3910 wire feet. At what point can I get a ballpark estimate of up/down data rates I can expect?

Thank you again,
Elliott

[wa2ibm]

Elliott:

The difference comes in the way that your existing pair is delivered to your premise.

Since you're in range according to the pre-qualification tool, then I presume you're within range of the CO. If you currently had AT&T's traditional ADSL + phone product, your pair would be wired directly to the CO and Sonic could order that pair transferred to their equipment, which is also located in that same CO. No fuss, no muss, easy.

However, with U-Verse, your existing pair is not wired to the CO, but instead, is wired up to a VRAD terminal near your building (less than 1000 feet away). Thus, your existing pair cannot simply be moved to Sonic's equipment. A new pair will be ordered (by Sonic) that runs from the CO to your building. That pair will then need to be routed to your unit, or more easily, switched to your existing unit pair at the DMark (NID) where the phone cables enter your building. Again, the Sonic tech can do this for you during the installation process.

Oh, and if/when you decide to switch, do NOT have your U-Verse service cancelled before your Sonic service goes live. Doing so will cause all sorts of headaches and loss of service.

As for what speed you can expect, that's really hard to say, it all depends upon the quality of the pair you get. Your best bet is to call Sonic support and ask what their experience is with others in your area.

[kanker]

a side note about Uverse... the same name is being applied to both the TV service and the "new" DSL service.. so it is possible to have uverse dsl and also be CO served...