For once, anyway. In troubleshooting some annoying sync failures on my Speakeasy DSL service, the tech support guy mentioned as a possible solution this new program offered in partnership with Covad, and reported by Ars Technica:

Back in the day (the mid 90s), dedicated-loop DSL was the primary means of delivering ADSL service. Now it looks to be poised for a comeback, as Covad this week announced a new dedicated-loop DSL offering in partnership with Speakeasy. Also known as dry-loop DSL and naked DSL, dedicated-loop DSL differs from the more common shared-line DSL in that the service is carried on a dedicated line that does not require voice service. Once regulators began requiring local telephone companies to lease lines in the late 90s to DSL providers such as Earthlink and Speakeasy, dedicated-loop DSL fell by the wayside, as it was more expensive and required the ISP to come out and do a custom installation.

So I said, let’s give it a try. The installation fee is waived because I’m a current customer, the new CPE (“Customer Premise Equipment” or DSL modem, for the acronym-declined), if I need it, will be fully rebated, and the extra $5/month will be more than offset by the $25/month savings of dropping our SBC landline.

Also, note the little “by the way” bit at the bottom of the Ars Technica piece:

With Covad and Speakeasy planning on offering a 6.0/768 dedicated-loop DSL package soon, it may put pressure on the ILECs to improve their offerings, or even to follow the lead of Qwest in offering naked DSL.

(emphasis mine) Mmmmmmm.