Karl, as Bill can probably tell you also, Verizon isn't putting any money into their system in the past few years for a few reasons. #1 being the small telco guys that started a few years ago are resellers of Verizon service. Verizon is still responsible for the lines...why give someone something for free that you have to pay for....
Also they are banking on wireless more and more...cept the only problem is the TRUE killer wireless application has not materialized so they're holding status quo until it does.
If you think you got problems now just wait it's gonna get worse. The more the infrastructure ages the worse it's going to be.
I hate dealing with Verizon and do every week with troubles on customer lines. I damn near had a fistfight with a guy a while ago as he was trying to tell me that my dc radio loop "HAD to have battery" on it or it wouldn't work. I fought with the guy for over an hour one day and said take the battery voltage off the damn line. I said gimme a twisted pair no battery or I'm calling your boss. Gee when he did it worked fine and he was gone 10 minutes later.
Never did find out who put the battery voltage on the line to begin with when the lines been there for like 30 years.