Waiting for DSL

Stupid thing number one: my broadband provider couldn’t even put in an order without an installed phone line. I had my new number and the phone set up over a month in advance but until the line is actually active there’s nothing anyone can do, apparently.

Stupid thing number two: The line doesn’t need to just be in and working. SBC takes their own sweet time after the line is installed making the news of the existence of the line known even to their own people for “two to three days.” In real-time numbers that’s one week. Tuesday to Tuesday is five business days.

Stupid thing number three: even after this, then Sonic has to schedule ANOTHER installation with SBC. So SBC has to come out a SECOND time and do an installation? Why is that? And why couldn’t that have been scheduled at some point in the past when I was trying to arrange all of this?

Weird weird weird thing: I plugged in the DSL modem last night and all the lights came on. It’s syncing and everything. The LINE seems to be fully active, but there’s no IP being provided.

It looks suspiciously like my ISP is waiting for a line that’s already set up to be set up.