Original message from: "J. Francois"
Cut for brevity....

_/ What kind of hardware do I have to purchase? Do I have to have a second phone line? <baited question> who are some of the 
better ISPs who offer DSL services, and what are the going monthly rates?
_/
_/You need a DSL router which would replace the Cable Modem.
_/You don't need a second phone line. The DSL circuit uses one pair and
_/your phone uses the other pair in a standard phone line installation.

I believe you are mistaken here.  Dsl and POTS (Plain old telephone service) use the same copper.  they are ridding in different 
frequencies (?sp).  That is why there is a limitation on distance.  RaDSL (Us Worst) is limited to 18000 feet from the CO where as 
other xDSL technoligies (SDSL- Rythems) can go upto 26000 feet depending on a bunch of factors. I am currently switching from 
RaDSL to SDSL (and getting a second phone line in the process) in the hopes of getting better sustainable transfer rates.

Sean