> Around 1030 my time (MST) my interenet connection was broken, and when I
> tried to reconnect I found that all 18 EarthLink numbers had no connectivity
> beyond their modems. Grudgingly, I called their tech support and demanded to
> speak with an American supervisor. From him I learned that EarthLink does
> not own their modems, they instead lease them from Windstream, a major
> competitor. So does Copper.net.
Well, kinda sorta...
Earthlink and Windstream "merged" several years ago. Rule #1: When two
"has-been" or "loser" companies combine, the chances of becoming a
successful company are even more unlikely than before. Rule #2: When
employed by said company do anything you can, even move to Alaska, to
get away from it before it goes bankrupt. (Stay tuned for the ultimate
loser-loser merge when T-Mobile and Sprint have combined--that WILL
NOT end well).
Windstream did spin off some business units, as a means to raise some
cash. What you know of Earthlink today, while legally a separate
company, is really just a handful of people babysitting a few hundred
modem shelves (each one containing line cards to support hundreds of
concurrent dial-up users). The last I knew, everything is still 100%
Windstream equipment and network. It isn't really a competitor.
In all honesty, when the merge happened, I was embarrassed to be part
of the company. With the exception of a half-dozen people, nearly
everybody from the Earthlink side was so far beyond worthless as to be
laughable. And that's saying a lot, because Windstream itself has the
Inverse-Midas touch. Everything gold it touches, it turns to dust.
While legally a merge, Windstream was realistically about 100x larger
than Earthlink. But the geniuses in Little Rock gave something like
40% of the combined value of the company to Earthlink, and placed
absolutely HORRIBLE management in charge of things they had no clue
how to run. But previous to that, Windstream acquired Paetec, another
complete disaster of a company, and put their incompetent management
in charge of things.
Ask me how I really feel...
Anyway, I don't think that I'd touch ANYTHING Windstream with a 10
foot pole. One of the most joyous times in my entire life was the
moment I turned in my badge, keys, and the laptop, and was escorted
from the building.
I'll save my 19CL story for another post.
AK Schnozz
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