Unfortunately the ILECs and CLECs expect us (the end-user) to do all the troubleshooting before they even begin to check anything on their end. It is frustrating and I would love for someone who works with a carrier (Qwest, Verizon, AT&T) to reply with an intelligent answer.

While the carrier continues to treat you like a neophyte; there are a few things you can do. First try the router as close to the demarc (smartjack) as possible, using as little wiring as possible. Plug the router up using a new 3 foot Cat6 cable directly to the smartjack. This step is simply to eliminate all inside wiring as the possible issue.

Next (this may be harder) change out the WIC cards, change the router and even take your router to another location with a T1 (might be a friend or colleague with another company that has a T1).

Lastly don't get off the phone with Qwest! Call often and escalate often. Tell them all the steps you took, open a ticket and then call back asking for the status of your ticket. Tell them the issue has not been resolved and you need an escalation. Tell them all the steps you took again and again. They will try to blame your router or the wiring inside your building, you must convince them that neither one of those is the problem.

Like I said earlier these companies expect us to do their troubleshooting. Getting them to do anything is like herding cats, but you must make sure none of your equipment is to blame.