[sllug-members]: DSL in SLC

[Steve Dibb]

I know this has come up a million times I'm sure, so I apologize, but 
I've never seen these issues specifically addressed, so I'm just gonna ask.

I just moved to SLC, and right now I have Comcast cable for my internet 
connection.  It works well, but it sort of "blinks" sometimes for a few 
seconds about every ten minutes or so.  It can get rather annoying when 
you're doing a lot of work remotely.

Anyway, I'm looking at getting DSL, probably with Xmission.  These are 
my big questions though:

1.  Do I have to get an account with Qwest?  If so, how do I get them to 
provide *just DSL*, and no phone line, or any other bundled stuff.  Is 
that possible?  If so, what's my total monthly bill going to be from them?

2.  What are the speeds like?  I grew up with a 2400 baud modem and 
BBS's so I'm familiar with kbps speeds, not megabit.  Right now I'm 
averaging between 800K/s and 1.5 megabytes/second with Comcast.  I'm not 
picky on speed though (as long as it's generally fast / stable).  It 
looks like Xmission offers "multi-megabit" whatever that is.

3.  Do I have to sign a contract?

4.  How does that work with the modem?  Do you just rent one, or can you 
buy one and save paying an eternal renter's fee?

Thanks guys!

Steve