Quote:
Originally Posted by NJblue
I too am aware of the HD limitation of PRISM and because of that and other reasons have not switched to them. From what I know of the technology and its difference from FIOS is that FIOS is fiber all the way to the house where it is interconnected to the house's cable system - hence true broadband from end-to-end.
PRISM is fiber to a junction point some distance from the house and then uses normal phones lines with DSL technology for the remaining link. Since this junction can be some distance from the house (up to thousands of feet) and since the distance varies for different subscribers and since the number of copper pairs available for the DSL link varies is the reason why some subscribers get better service than others.
Unfortunately, since the telephone distribution network is not owned by Verizon, it is not likely that we will ever get true fiber to the house technology. I wonder if the new sections currently being built are being "wired" with fiber cables all the way to the houses or if they are continuing to use just copper. Does anyone know?
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Well, that's a perfect explanation of why this situation exists; particularly with the DSL topology being used for the "last mile". I wasn't aware of that; thanks NJblue. (The term "last mile" refers to the last leg of the connection between your home and your provider. "Mile" is a relative term.)
With DSL, distance from the phone company's central office determines your potential bandwidth; hence at least part of the reason for the difference in bandwidth available in various Villages neighborhoods. The farther away your home is from the central office (or the fiber junction point, in this case), the less bandwidth (speed, data throughput, etc.) you'll have.
This is obviously a cost-savings implementation for CenturyLink, vs. having to lay fiber cable throughout the Villages. But I would think that new neighborhoods on the rise should have fiber installed as a matter of course. Whether that's true or not is another question.
In any event, I'm sure that CenturyLink customers who've switched away from whoever offers cable service (Comcast?) no doubt have had rude awakenings when trying to view HD on multiple sets concurrently. Perhaps it's not an issue if it's just a husband/wife or single person, but with guests, it's one of those "Oh, well, let me explain that..." things.