River,

IF you get dsl in your area and decide to get it then by all means do so. if you want the dsl line so you can use a voip program. once on dsl there are many alternatives.

but first let me explain what dsl is....

dsl is a digital subscriber line. it uses the copper wires in the phone lines to send the digital signal to and from your house lines to the switch in the telephone companys switching station. ideally the closer you are to the central office and its main switch the better the signal. the further you get from the office the weaker the signal. the phone companies use repeater stations along its rout to amplify the signal so it can send the signal further away from the central office. in your case unless your within a couple of miles from the central office of the phone cpmany in your town chances are the lines in the ground near your housing do not have the capability to run dsl.

the phone company needs to install special switches under the ground in its stations where the wires are routed. other wise it wont work. you can still have your phone line but it doesnt mean it can be used for dsl....



so answer to question number one is yes. as the lines that make the dsl work belong to the pnone company you will more than likely need to pay for thier service to use thier lines. if they are also the isp who sells the dsl then you will need to pay them for it as well.

to answer question number two.


the voip services that let you call people using the internet are going through a broadband connection. which is not the dsl connection.

broadband uses coax cable and does not use the phone companies landlines it uses the cable lines.


to answer question number three is yes. most isps who sell you dsl also have a backup phone number for dial up just in case the dsl service drops.


unfortunately because you do live in a rural area the powers that be that do provide you with any service will get you coming and going as you say. me being a geek i pay the price for not living rurakky but would prefer to do so,


we all give up something to get something else.

if you choose to use a satalite service you will get a dsl download and a dialup upload. it is not symetrical. and from my experience with customers its a step up from dialup but stil better than nothing.

i hope this explains this for you ..

as far as the dsl router not a box... its best to use the one the isp provides cause if something oges wrong with it the service provider will give you telephone support and also support for the service. if you purchase your own then no support from the isp for anything. so the little amount you think you will save at the beginning you will end up spending ten fold on the backside.

it is sad when folks get bad tech suport from an offshore support technician. just remeber this.

if you pay a telephone bill then the telephone cmpany is responsible to fix them. its thier equipment. dont take no for a n answer. older lines can cause a lot of problems with dsl.






roger.