It would not surprise me that, back in the early days (? - 1999), the BBS server was connected to an aDSL 1.5Mb/sec line. By 2010, when the photo was taken, perhaps a DS3 was feeding the 13x facility (multiple servers). Today I have no idea, with bandwidth as cheap as it is.
POTS - Plain Old Telephone Service. Dial tone to your home. Analog. Fastest ever data transmission was V.92, 53K/sec (IIRC). DSL - Digital Subscriber Loop/Line. Early version was maybe 128K up, 1.544Mb down. Carried by POTS line. DS3 = T1 (1.544Mb/sec) x 30 ~= 45Mb/sec up/down. Either coax or two pair twisted pair.
Fiber: Glass strands that carry communication signals on light beams originated by laser transmitters. Can use multiple wavelengths (up to 40 or so) of light to get extremely high data rates on a single strand of glass. Each wavelength can operate at about 20 billion bits per second. Common fiber cables have up to 96 strands of glass in a single cable.
Outside plant: telco assets outside the CO (central office). Cables, poles, multiplexers (SLC96), etc. Inside plant: assets inside the CO.
Just repeating what the lawyer representing the estate of Randy California in the Phoenix/Stairway To Heaven copyright litigation said.
Since we're still on the subject, LZ fans should do themselves a favor and listen to Willie Dixon's "I Am The Blues." After he won the court cases and collected some $ from the guys, he released a record of him singing the songs he wrote for Howlin' Wolf and others that were bitten by the British Invasion guys. It's some high quality shit.
