[Yosemite Sam]

My story is similar.

We don't so much live in the boonies but we're away from "mainstream" stuff. Our local phone company is Frontier.

In January (this year) I discovered that their HS internet is the same price as their dial-up service (not a promotion, their regular price) so I called and "ordered" it. The gal said she would send a router right out to me, and then I was to call back and they would give me the details of when I could hook it up and start using it, from what I gathered this was so I could use it the same day they changed my wires from phone to HS net.

A month went by and no router, so I called again. We'll get it right out to you...

2 weeks, no router. Another phone call...

This went on for 3 months until one day when I called the gal finally told me that there were no more "slots" to plug into, because all the available slots were being used. One day I caught the local repair guy when he was in the area, and he verified to me that there weren't any available space for new customers.

So instead of getting HS internet for $20.00 a month, I continue to pay $20.00 for crappy, slow as hell (and I MEAN SLOW) dial up, PLUS I get to continue to pay $45.00 a month for a phone to hang on the wall that hasn't been off the hook in 4 years.

The end result is that I ultimately get to pay almost $70.00 a month (total) for really bad internet service, instead of $20.00 plus taxes and associated fees, for 5 times faster more reliable service, because THEIR equipment needs to be updated. And they won't give me any kind of break on the price! They act like it's my fault that they can't hook me up. I'm giving them $50.00 a month because their equipment is already at capacity.

Other companies that we can get service from are about $90.00 a month.

I have considered contacting the Illinois Communications Commission, but I really doubt that they give a crap either.

Our cell phone company won't work either, we can text and call from here, but if someone sends me a picture, I have to wait until I go to town to download the picture and the internet won't come up at all.

Anybody got any ideas how I work around this and still keep the cost down?