Qwest launches high-speed Internet service in Burley, ID

Qwest Communications International Inc. said Tuesday that its high-speed Internet service, known as Qwest DSL, is now available in the Burley area after Qwest upgraded the local telecommunications network.

The Times-News

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DSL provides a high-speed, dedicated broadband connection that provides customers with immediate access to the Internet, even while they talk on the telephone.

"Qwest is listening to its customers and, as a result, we are rapidly expanding the availability of our popular DSL service throughout the state," said Jim Schmit, Qwest president for Idaho. "High-speed broadband is becoming an essential communications and economic development tool."

House Speaker Bruce Newcomb, R-Burley, said in a Qwest statement: "A solid technological infrastructure is part of the foundation needed to encourage growth and development in our communities."

Qwest said it invested in excess of $100 million in 2003 for DSL expansion efforts. In 2004, the company is investing an additional $200 million to expand DSL across its multistate region, increasing DSL availability to 65 percent of households in its region, or more than 6.5 million homes.

With Qwest DSL, customers can surf the Internet at speeds ranging from about 256 kilobits per second to 1.5 megabits per second — many times faster than a traditional dial-up connection. That means, for example, faster downloading of music and large, high-resolution photos, and the ability to download movie clips, interact with game players in other parts of the world and videoconference using a Webcam.

But the service is not available on every Burley-area telephone line.

For questions about availability and pricing, residential customers can call Qwest at 1-800-244-1111, and small-business customers can call 1-800-603-6000. Customers also can visit http://www.qwest.com/jump/dsl/ online to determine whether their lines qualify for DSL, Qwest said.