Well, here's an update on my telecom transition from metal wire to optical fiber...

The technician finally came out just before the July 4 weekend. He scoped out the site and said he couldn't do a thing because they'd need to bring the cable down from the pole and to the house. He looked at the existing wire, most of which was buried, but part of which was lying on the ground. He remarked that that type of wire is meant to be used only for aerial installations. I told the Customer Service agent who initiated the service call that my wire was buried. But she insisted that the service was aerial. Well, the street is serviced with overhead wires, that's true. But my house has all its utilities underground.

The technician initially said he'd like to put the "box" and router in the basement, but I said I wanted it in the "office" where the DSL modem is. But now that I think long-term, his suggestion is a better choice. Today, the modem is in an office. But once I'm gone, the room will be some kid's bedroom (if the house remains standing at all). I can clearly see the parents grumbling about the situation every time they need to reset the box. Or worse, the sulky teenager messes with it to annoy the rest of the family.

So I'll go along with a basement installation as long as the technician can assure me that the equipment will be impervious to mouse pee and poop.