On larger accounts, like ones where T1 or PRI circuits are required, the cable companies can't offer them unless they have fiber to the premises.
For that Cablevision has a division called Lightpath which does a pretty good job. They run fiber to the building, locate the channel banks in their own space and run 25 pair to the customers in the building. Lightpath has a few corporate parks around here but that's about it.
I used a channel bank only as an example of a size and configuration that would make multi-line installations practical. There is absolutely no reason that a cable modem cannot be packaged like a channel bank with one cable in and up to 24 POTS lines on an Amphenol out along with an ethernet port.
Cablevision, Comcast and Cox have to be purchasing millions of dollars worth of these things annually. I'm sure if they told Cisco or any other manufacturer that they wanted something like I just described they would have it tomorrow. The problem as I see it is 1) the cable companies don't know any better, 2) it's more cost effective to stock a bunch of four line modems and make them work and 3) they don't care what it looks like.
I think in the future I'm going to make my customers aware of this situation so that they can factor it into their decision. I'm also going to try to make Cablevision aware that they need to clean up their act by telling customers to make sure they complain loudly about the installations when they are unhappy with them. I doubt it will make any difference, but I can tell you that at least this sales rep sure would have been unhappy if he lost this customer because of what I was saying.
-Hal
