Internet nightmare: AT&T sells DSL to your neighbors, but not to you

Mark Lewis and his wife bought a house in Winterville, Georgia, in August 2012. They figured getting Internet service would be as simple as calling up AT&T, because the prior owners had AT&T DSL (Digital Subscriber Line). The neighbors also have AT&T DSL service providing about 3Mbps.

“The previous owners had left their DSL modem and everything in the house,” Lewis told Ars. But when he called AT&T, the company said they were “at maximum capacity, but if someone else in your neighborhood terminates their service that should open up something for you.”

In October 2013, two of Lewis’ neighbors moved out, and he called AT&T to see if that opened up a spot for him. The answer was no. It continues to be no.

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