twork operator. Is it a legacy or new-era services provider? That is, is the service provider merely interested in providing its basic service package and per- haps some specialized relatively low-speed data types of services, or does the pro- vider aim to deliver IP services, interactive broadband services (e.g., Internet access, remote access, teleshopping), and broadcast and interactive video? A third factor is the cost of installing the new distribution system, given the physical foot- print realities, such as the terrain and environmental conditions. Finally, the ser- vice provider needs to consider the performance level of the distribution system in terms of the requirements to implement the services strategy. This also deals with the physical footprint realities. The Best Broadband Option for the Footprint People often want to know what the best broadband access option is. The answer is that there is no best option: What is best for a given situation depends on the footprint reality (e.g., broadband wireless may work very well in one area but provide poor performance in another because there are many trees, whose leaves act as obstacles to microwave). Multiple options are currently available. Across different terrains, across different applica- tions, and across different politics and regulations, one of them is bound to work and pre- vail, allowing you to enter the broadband era. DSL Technology DSL is an entire family of technologies, all of which provide digital transmission over the copper wires used in the local loop, or last mile. The xDSL technologies offer many home users their first taste of broadband, and most users find that once they've tried broadband, they'll never go back. It's exciting how much broadband can improve performance, despite the fact that today's broadband is not as fast as the data rates we will see in the coming years. As discussed in detail in the follow- DSL Technology ing sections, the xDSL family of standards includes a large variety of speeds and distance specifications: H