'splain to me, please

[SadieKate]

What is the difference between Broadband and DSL? Is broadband always cable? Trying to figure out internet access for our new house and I'm very iggerant.

We're going to have to change our email addresses!!!! Yuck! Somehow, that seems more painful than all the address changes for snail mail.

[Veronica]

Thom says Broadband is technically all high speed Internet access. Probably most people use broadband when they mean cable.

DSL uses a phone line not cable.

V.

PS Now T. wants to check Wikipedia for the definition of broadband.

[Fredwina]

V is right.
DSL and Cable Modems are both Broadband.
DSL is via the phone line

[SadieKate]

Ah ha! So that explains why I was confused.

Qwest's website says DSL isn't available at our new house, but when I called they said their database was down. I really don't want cable so let's hope Qwest can do it.

Thanks all, including Mr. T.

[Fredwina]

Ah ha! So that explains why I was confused.

Qwest's website says DSL isn't available at our new house, but when I called they said their database was down. I really don't want cable so let's hope Qwest can do it.

Thanks all, including Mr. T.

If I remember right, you have to be within 2 miles of your central office (phone co. talk for building where the switching equipment lives) to get DSL.

[emily_in_nc]

If I remember right, you have to be within 2 miles of your central office (phone co. talk for building where the switching equipment lives) to get DSL.

I think that's actually closer to three miles -- and you don't have to be that close to the central office, just to a remote off the central office. Our rural neighborhood was in dial-up hell for a few years until our telco put in a new remote (a switching box that serves a certain number of subscriber lines) within three miles of our road. Thankfully, we all have DSL now, and we can't imagine what we did without it! (We also can't get cable out here in the sticks -- we have satellite for TV.)

Emily, who works in the telecom industry