TDS is a multi billion dollar corporation with operations in many parts of the U.S. Their service territory here in western Colorado extends from Paonia/Somerset on the east, Crawford on the south, Cedaredge on the north and approximately Austin/Read on the west. This area was originally served by a coop telephone company that was later taken over by TDS. TDS also provides service to an area in northern Colorado.

From this point forward, I can't really afford to expend time documenting the negative acts of a very common-place bell-head corporation. I'm sure this corporation will continue to milk whatever revenues is can from Delta County customers while supplying the least amount of service possible. I, fortunately, have been able to move on. My message to their customers is simple. For some time now, anyone with a sufficiently fast Internet connection can build/buy there own telephone system with features far beyond anything TDS can supply with their obsolete, PCM/wire based telephone network. What is pictured to the right is a simple multi-line electronic telephone (no video) that connects to a Linux Ethernet based server. Analog audio is digitized and routed over the same LAN that is used to provide Internet access to our PCs.

For one who use to build network connectivity using the tools from the analog and T-carrier worlds, it's amazing to see circuits specified in software and appear automagically from any remote location almost immediately (15 minutes). The phone to the right is able to receive non-toll calls directly on a local basis as well as from Denver (300 miles distant). Outgoing calls are placed on a flat fee ($0.015 per minute) basis to anywhere in the U.S. World wide calling is nearly the same cost. Hosted on a small PC, this system provides or can provide calling features common to the largest systems in the U.S. The system, of course, also supports the older analog style telephones (2500 sets) as well as electronic sets. Hardware costs are modest and the software costs are free (open source).

Electronic systems of all types can be easily damaged if not configured (grounded) and powered correctly. For anyone purchasing a complete system I would advise reviewing the principles of single point grounding sometimes called a "ground window" configuration. In my experience most electricians don't have a clue as to how to effectively configure such a system. Links are to the right. The picture to the right shows a typical mistake. The coils in the wire represent an inductor. Fast wave fronts such a those produced by lightning will see an open connection to ground. Another cute trick I've seen is running an insulated ground conductor through metallic conduit. Again, a very effective inductor (open circuit) for lightning or any fast-rise voltage transient.

I know quite a few people in the Hotchkiss area have been waiting for this major upgrade. In line with TDS's old fiber optic line from Delta to Paonia, TDS is now apparently able to provide a full 50 Mbit Internet connection for anyone withing the city block pictured (from FCC govt. site). I'm quite certain they will extend this service to outlying areas within the next 20-30 years.

In more enlightened communities that have opted to build their own very fast fiber based Internet systems, services such as Dish and Direct TV are also going away. Rather than be a slave to what these companies want you to watch with their bundled programming, the Internet allows you to watch only what you want when you want.

Please continue to next page - - Fiber <--> JAB --

• How TDS Does Business
• Predatory TDS
• Landlines Going Away
• Gov. Broadband Map
• Colorado Govt. Broadband
• System Power Changes

• Grounding?
• NEC & Single Point
• Single Point Gnd.
• Professional Grounding Example