From: ahk@chinet.com   
      
   hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:   
   >On Sunday, July 6, 2014 4:04:09 PM UTC-4, Robert Heller wrote:   
      
   >>... And the 50 or so miles of copper is basically crap. Most of it is   
   >>worn out and overdue for replacement.   
      
   >When say the "copper is worn out", do you actually mean the insulation   
   >of each wire and the sheath of the cable itself?  I would think the   
   >copper itself doesn't wear.   
      
   Huh? Copper can oxidize, like any other metal. When I moved into my   
   current place, it still had screw-down connectors, not idea for DSL. 66   
   and 110 punch-down blocks were designed to minimize oxidation at the   
   point of connection inside the subscriber's premisis. In the field,   
   wherever the insulation is cracked, water infiltration and hence   
   oxidation is assumed.   
      
   --- SoupGate/W32 v1.03   
    * Origin: LiveWire BBS -=*=- UseNet FTN Gateway (1:2320/1)