Gustavus Phone Line Quality Report

The Gustavus Community Network (GCN), today released a report evaluating Gustavus phone line quality for purposes of dial-up Internet access. The assessment documents sub-standard performance in 12 of 14 lines tested. GCN commissioned the report to quantify severe performance problems experienced after Alaska Communications Systems (ACS, the company providing local phone service) made major system changes in Gustavus in November, 2006.

Report co-author Nathan Borson said the test results will assist ACS in rectifying the problem. "ACS has been working with GCN for many months to identify and correct the dial-up problems that began in November, 2006. The ACS technician assigned to the case asked for detailed data showing which phone lines are affected and how severely. This report provides that information so we can move forward."

GCN paid Corvid Computing to prepare the report when it became obvious that volunteer effort would produce the needed results too late if ever. Since November, 2006 many GCN dial-up subscribers have experienced reduced or unusable performance, difficulty connecting, and frequent disconnects. At least ten subscribers purchased replacement modems that are usable with the sub-standard phone lines, but many others discontinued their GCN service, either giving up Internet access at home or installing their own satellite dishes or subscribing to the wireless Internet service newly offered by ACS.

The report shows large differences between phone lines and between modems. Among its findings:

• The authors were unable to document any degradation for customers who connect at speeds greater than 28.8 Kbps. Generally these are in central Gustavus, the airport neighborhood, and Dolly Varden Lane.
  
• The remaining phone lines very rarely if ever connect at speeds of 28.8 Kbps even using the best modems. Based on memory and customer reports, most lines and modems did support connect speeds of 28.8 Kbps prior to November, 2006 as required by Alaska Administrative Code.
• The worst phone lines are along Good River and Mountain View roads. Here it is common for many modems to negotiate a transmit speed of only 4.8 Kbps, making the connections unusable. The transmit speed is visible only on the GCN equipment; customers' modems typically display receive speeds of 21.6 or 26.4 Kbps but due to the severely limited upload speeds this receive speed is not actually achieved.
• Some modems are usable on all phone lines, though even they very rarely connect at 28.8 Kbps outside central Gustavus.

The full report including raw test data is available on-line at http://tinyurl.com/yvy34j .