Dead Signal: Day 2 - The Dispair and Upheaval of a Household When Phone and Internet Die!

AT&T told me when I called back at 4:30pm yesterday that my ticket has now been "escalated" and I should hear back from them by Thursday. The CSR wouldn't expound on the problem being fixed by then or if someone would schedule an appointment by then, or they are putting my "escalated" ticket on the backburner for a couple of days and will get back to me on Thursday.

Thank goodness America has the fortitude to promote competition and deny monopolies...Uh, wait a GOP admin allowed the monopoly? Huh. Well, I guess it makes things easier when it is just one corporate entity screwing us over as opposed to a industry-wide conspiracy of many collaborators against us. Right? Merging is all about increasing efficiency, right?

*fumes*

Currently, I'm at the in-law's house catching up on email and slipping in this post between work tasks.

Dead Signal: Day 2 and a half - How a Dead Beaver Clogged the Inter-tubes to My Home

I packed up my things from the in-laws' and told Calvin we were headed home as soon as I received the call from the AT&T guy on route to my abode. When I arrive, the AT&T guy had already replaced the plug in the NID and decreed the problem fixed since he could now get a dial tone from the NID. He offers to wait until I could check the internet connection since that problem is what started the drama. The modem takes a while but finally goes solid on the DSL light, while it takes FOREVER for my PC to boot up. Once everything is up and running, we discover -despite the solid DSL light- that nothing can actually access the internet. FF, IM, and a terminal trying to ping some of our servers came up fruitless. While I'm checking stuff out w/ the computers, the AT&T guy starts to exit since he had already confirmed that what is AT&T's responsibility works. With one hand holding the cellphone that I'm using to brainstorm ways to check the internet connection with Andy, I grab the cordless home phone to confirm for myself that I have a dial tone.

No, I don't!

I quickly run out the door. The van is pulling out of my driveway and starts down my street. I go running after it, waving my arms as if trying to take flight. I deliver the news to the AT&T guy that I didn't get a dial tone. He pulls over and heads to the NID. I come to the NID after testing the corded phone in three sockets with no luck on all. The AT&T guy has reopened the NID and says something to the effect of, "Okay, let me show you what I did. I just..." and at this point one of his fingers touches the red wire. The wire immediately snaps from the point in the network cable where the insulation was cut. He gives me a sheepish grin and says he'll fix that splice.

He came to the door a couple of minutes later. There was a dial tone when I picked up the phone and the internet was running faster than I can recall seeing previously. *knocks on wood and crosses fingers*