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I live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (the Heartland) have two cable companies, a trio of Wireless ISPs, 2 GSM cellphone networks (T-Mobile, Cingular), 3 CDMA networks (US Cellular, Sprint PCS, Verizon), a pair TDMA networks (US Cellular and Cingular). My cable company offers ethernet to the home, piggybacked on their phone service at speeds up to 7MB/sec (http://www.mcleodusa.com/ATS/InternetServices/Bus DataLink.do;jsessionid=0000mkfmhYaf4O_ls7FUrozT9tL :uquv7396) Come on, just because we're not on the coast doesn't mean we dont have any access to the internet.

You think a small private company is going to be able to compete with the big boys?

Actually, yes.

McLeodUSA started as a group of about six people in a rented office in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and despite going through delisting, bankruptcy, having to sell off its directory business and all sorts of other financial trouble after the dot-com bust, is still a huge thorn in Qwest's side. (McLeodUSA mostly does business in the states where Qwest is the incumbent.)

It's quite heartening to know I could go out tomorrow, file some papers with the Iowa Utilities Board, and become a phone company. (Of course, I'd get fired, but that's beside the point.)

Qwest Communications, before selling dial-up and DSL customers to MSN, once had a transparent web proxy set up in Des Moines, Iowa. All outgoing HTTP traffic to port 80 was routed through the proxy.

The worst part was that when the proxy went down, packets continued to be routed to it, but tier 1 tech support personnel (located in another state--probably Minnesota) had no idea that the proxy even existed. The only way to work around it was to use a web proxy somewhere on the Internet that did not operate on port 80!

Qwest finally removed the transparent proxy shortly before switching customers to MSN. I eventually switched to Mediacom cable modem at home and McLeodUSA DSL at work.

Anyway, that wasn't the first thing we had to say about U S WEST. Here's a sampling:

• 10/1/1999 McLeodUSA Asks FCC to Protect Consumers and Ensure Competition in US West - Qwest Merger
• 12/3/1999 McLeodUSA Documents US West 'Bad Faith' and Vigorously Opposes Approval For Long-Distance Service
• 03/14/2000 McLeodUSA Files Formal Complaint With Colorado PUC Regarding 'Discriminatory Practices' by US West
• 04/26/2000 McLeodUSA Resolves Key Business Points with U S WEST

Now, as to my personal experiences with U S WORST: The first time I tried to get a line from them, it took over two months! They claimed for most of that time that my address didn't exist. Even though I was very obviously living there and there was a network interface right in back. They missed the first install date, and after insisting on the phone with them for weeks that my address really did exist, they finally dispatched a truck and I got a phone line.

Of course, the line quality was for shit. I had to call for repair not a day afterward because of noise and static on the line. Turns out the installer had just strung the line out across the ground down to the street, and well, you can imagine what happened.

These days I am completely free of U S WORST (even though I live smack in the middle of their territory!) and loving it. My present employer, from whom I also get phone, cable TV and cable Internet service, installed everything on time. Everything works exactly like it's supposed to. And anytime I have a problem, I know exactly who to call and what their phone number is. And NEVER have to wait on hold, or deal with pressing 1 for aggravation or 2 for frustration. (That's right, we have no voice menu system! And never will, either!)

And no, they don't pay me to speak for them. My opinions are my own. (Though most everyone else in this company can't stand U S WORST either.)
---

Anyway, that wasn't the first thing we had to say about U S WEST. Here's a sampling:

• 10/1/1999 McLeodUSA Asks FCC to Protect Consumers and Ensure Competition in US West - Qwest Merger
• 12/3/1999 McLeodUSA Documents US West 'Bad Faith' and Vigorously Opposes Approval For Long-Distance Service
• 03/14/2000 McLeodUSA Files Formal Complaint With Colorado PUC Regarding 'Discriminatory Practices' by US West
• 04/26/2000 McLeodUSA Resolves Key Business Points with U S WEST

Now, as to my personal experiences with U S WORST: The first time I tried to get a line from them, it took over two months! They claimed for most of that time that my address didn't exist. Even though I was very obviously living there and there was a network interface right in back. They missed the first install date, and after insisting on the phone with them for weeks that my address really did exist, they finally dispatched a truck and I got a phone line.

Of course, the line quality was for shit. I had to call for repair not a day afterward because of noise and static on the line. Turns out the installer had just strung the line out across the ground down to the street, and well, you can imagine what happened.

These days I am completely free of U S WORST (even though I live smack in the middle of their territory!) and loving it. My present employer, from whom I also get phone, cable TV and cable Internet service, installed everything on time. Everything works exactly like it's supposed to. And anytime I have a problem, I know exactly who to call and what their phone number is. And NEVER have to wait on hold, or deal with pressing 1 for aggravation or 2 for frustration. (That's right, we have no voice menu system! And never will, either!)

And no, they don't pay me to speak for them. My opinions are my own. (Though most everyone else in this company can't stand U S WORST either.)
---

Anyway, that wasn't the first thing we had to say about U S WEST. Here's a sampling:

• 10/1/1999 McLeodUSA Asks FCC to Protect Consumers and Ensure Competition in US West - Qwest Merger
• 12/3/1999 McLeodUSA Documents US West 'Bad Faith' and Vigorously Opposes Approval For Long-Distance Service
• 03/14/2000 McLeodUSA Files Formal Complaint With Colorado PUC Regarding 'Discriminatory Practices' by US West
• 04/26/2000 McLeodUSA Resolves Key Business Points with U S WEST

Now, as to my personal experiences with U S WORST: The first time I tried to get a line from them, it took over two months! They claimed for most of that time that my address didn't exist. Even though I was very obviously living there and there was a network interface right in back. They missed the first install date, and after insisting on the phone with them for weeks that my address really did exist, they finally dispatched a truck and I got a phone line.

Of course, the line quality was for shit. I had to call for repair not a day afterward because of noise and static on the line. Turns out the installer had just strung the line out across the ground down to the street, and well, you can imagine what happened.

These days I am completely free of U S WORST (even though I live smack in the middle of their territory!) and loving it. My present employer, from whom I also get phone, cable TV and cable Internet service, installed everything on time. Everything works exactly like it's supposed to. And anytime I have a problem, I know exactly who to call and what their phone number is. And NEVER have to wait on hold, or deal with pressing 1 for aggravation or 2 for frustration. (That's right, we have no voice menu system! And never will, either!)

And no, they don't pay me to speak for them. My opinions are my own. (Though most everyone else in this company can't stand U S WORST either.)
---

Anyway, that wasn't the first thing we had to say about U S WEST. Here's a sampling:

• 10/1/1999 McLeodUSA Asks FCC to Protect Consumers and Ensure Competition in US West - Qwest Merger
• 12/3/1999 McLeodUSA Documents US West 'Bad Faith' and Vigorously Opposes Approval For Long-Distance Service
• 03/14/2000 McLeodUSA Files Formal Complaint With Colorado PUC Regarding 'Discriminatory Practices' by US West
• 04/26/2000 McLeodUSA Resolves Key Business Points with U S WEST

Now, as to my personal experiences with U S WORST: The first time I tried to get a line from them, it took over two months! They claimed for most of that time that my address didn't exist. Even though I was very obviously living there and there was a network interface right in back. They missed the first install date, and after insisting on the phone with them for weeks that my address really did exist, they finally dispatched a truck and I got a phone line.

Of course, the line quality was for shit. I had to call for repair not a day afterward because of noise and static on the line. Turns out the installer had just strung the line out across the ground down to the street, and well, you can imagine what happened.

These days I am completely free of U S WORST (even though I live smack in the middle of their territory!) and loving it. My present employer, from whom I also get phone, cable TV and cable Internet service, installed everything on time. Everything works exactly like it's supposed to. And anytime I have a problem, I know exactly who to call and what their phone number is. And NEVER have to wait on hold, or deal with pressing 1 for aggravation or 2 for frustration. (That's right, we have no voice menu system! And never will, either!)

And no, they don't pay me to speak for them. My opinions are my own. (Though most everyone else in this company can't stand U S WORST either.)
---

Anyway, that wasn't the first thing we had to say about U S WEST. Here's a sampling:

• 10/1/1999 McLeodUSA Asks FCC to Protect Consumers and Ensure Competition in US West - Qwest Merger
• 12/3/1999 McLeodUSA Documents US West 'Bad Faith' and Vigorously Opposes Approval For Long-Distance Service
• 03/14/2000 McLeodUSA Files Formal Complaint With Colorado PUC Regarding 'Discriminatory Practices' by US West
• 04/26/2000 McLeodUSA Resolves Key Business Points with U S WEST

Now, as to my personal experiences with U S WORST: The first time I tried to get a line from them, it took over two months! They claimed for most of that time that my address didn't exist. Even though I was very obviously living there and there was a network interface right in back. They missed the first install date, and after insisting on the phone with them for weeks that my address really did exist, they finally dispatched a truck and I got a phone line.

Of course, the line quality was for shit. I had to call for repair not a day afterward because of noise and static on the line. Turns out the installer had just strung the line out across the ground down to the street, and well, you can imagine what happened.

These days I am completely free of U S WORST (even though I live smack in the middle of their territory!) and loving it. My present employer, from whom I also get phone, cable TV and cable Internet service, installed everything on time. Everything works exactly like it's supposed to. And anytime I have a problem, I know exactly who to call and what their phone number is. And NEVER have to wait on hold, or deal with pressing 1 for aggravation or 2 for frustration. (That's right, we have no voice menu system! And never will, either!)

And no, they don't pay me to speak for them. My opinions are my own. (Though most everyone else in this company can't stand U S WORST either.)
---

Anyway, that wasn't the first thing we had to say about U S WEST. Here's a sampling:

• 10/1/1999 McLeodUSA Asks FCC to Protect Consumers and Ensure Competition in US West - Qwest Merger
• 12/3/1999 McLeodUSA Documents US West 'Bad Faith' and Vigorously Opposes Approval For Long-Distance Service
• 03/14/2000 McLeodUSA Files Formal Complaint With Colorado PUC Regarding 'Discriminatory Practices' by US West
• 04/26/2000 McLeodUSA Resolves Key Business Points with U S WEST

Now, as to my personal experiences with U S WORST: The first time I tried to get a line from them, it took over two months! They claimed for most of that time that my address didn't exist. Even though I was very obviously living there and there was a network interface right in back. They missed the first install date, and after insisting on the phone with them for weeks that my address really did exist, they finally dispatched a truck and I got a phone line.

Of course, the line quality was for shit. I had to call for repair not a day afterward because of noise and static on the line. Turns out the installer had just strung the line out across the ground down to the street, and well, you can imagine what happened.

These days I am completely free of U S WORST (even though I live smack in the middle of their territory!) and loving it. My present employer, from whom I also get phone, cable TV and cable Internet service, installed everything on time. Everything works exactly like it's supposed to. And anytime I have a problem, I know exactly who to call and what their phone number is. And NEVER have to wait on hold, or deal with pressing 1 for aggravation or 2 for frustration. (That's right, we have no voice menu system! And never will, either!)

And no, they don't pay me to speak for them. My opinions are my own. (Though most everyone else in this company can't stand U S WORST either.)
---

Anyway, that wasn't the first thing we had to say about U S WEST. Here's a sampling:

• 10/1/1999 McLeodUSA Asks FCC to Protect Consumers and Ensure Competition in US West - Qwest Merger
• 12/3/1999 McLeodUSA Documents US West 'Bad Faith' and Vigorously Opposes Approval For Long-Distance Service
• 03/14/2000 McLeodUSA Files Formal Complaint With Colorado PUC Regarding 'Discriminatory Practices' by US West
• 04/26/2000 McLeodUSA Resolves Key Business Points with U S WEST

Now, as to my personal experiences with U S WORST: The first time I tried to get a line from them, it took over two months! They claimed for most of that time that my address didn't exist. Even though I was very obviously living there and there was a network interface right in back. They missed the first install date, and after insisting on the phone with them for weeks that my address really did exist, they finally dispatched a truck and I got a phone line.

Of course, the line quality was for shit. I had to call for repair not a day afterward because of noise and static on the line. Turns out the installer had just strung the line out across the ground down to the street, and well, you can imagine what happened.

These days I am completely free of U S WORST (even though I live smack in the middle of their territory!) and loving it. My present employer, from whom I also get phone, cable TV and cable Internet service, installed everything on time. Everything works exactly like it's supposed to. And anytime I have a problem, I know exactly who to call and what their phone number is. And NEVER have to wait on hold, or deal with pressing 1 for aggravation or 2 for frustration. (That's right, we have no voice menu system! And never will, either!)

And no, they don't pay me to speak for them. My opinions are my own. (Though most everyone else in this company can't stand U S WORST either.)
---

Anyway, that wasn't the first thing we had to say about U S WEST. Here's a sampling:

• 10/1/1999 McLeodUSA Asks FCC to Protect Consumers and Ensure Competition in US West - Qwest Merger
• 12/3/1999 McLeodUSA Documents US West 'Bad Faith' and Vigorously Opposes Approval For Long-Distance Service
• 03/14/2000 McLeodUSA Files Formal Complaint With Colorado PUC Regarding 'Discriminatory Practices' by US West
• 04/26/2000 McLeodUSA Resolves Key Business Points with U S WEST

Now, as to my personal experiences with U S WORST: The first time I tried to get a line from them, it took over two months! They claimed for most of that time that my address didn't exist. Even though I was very obviously living there and there was a network interface right in back. They missed the first install date, and after insisting on the phone with them for weeks that my address really did exist, they finally dispatched a truck and I got a phone line.

Of course, the line quality was for shit. I had to call for repair not a day afterward because of noise and static on the line. Turns out the installer had just strung the line out across the ground down to the street, and well, you can imagine what happened.

These days I am completely free of U S WORST (even though I live smack in the middle of their territory!) and loving it. My present employer, from whom I also get phone, cable TV and cable Internet service, installed everything on time. Everything works exactly like it's supposed to. And anytime I have a problem, I know exactly who to call and what their phone number is. And NEVER have to wait on hold, or deal with pressing 1 for aggravation or 2 for frustration. (That's right, we have no voice menu system! And never will, either!)

And no, they don't pay me to speak for them. My opinions are my own. (Though most everyone else in this company can't stand U S WORST either.)
---