Keeping the system healthy
People who use the internet should understand, that like any other service or utility that relies on a network of people and machines, at times there will be a pause, breakdown, or interruption in the service for a variety of reasons. With internet service providers often this will be in the form of maintenance which may involve upgrading software, backing up databases, installing new equipment, etc. Sometimes this is done within minutes, and other times it make take an hour or more. As with an outfit like the electric company, this may come suddenly and without warning, which stands to reason, because attempting to call or e-mail hundreds or thousands of users every time a maintenance procedure is called for can take up time that should be spent doing the procedure. Conversely, having to answer hundreds of calls while the procedure is in progress can impede the process. A good rule of thumb is to consider that just because you can't connect the very first time, it may not be necessary to call immediately after a first attempt, or even the 10th try. If you were able to connect with no problems the day before, and your machine hasn't been giving you other types of problems, usually waiting 30 minutes or an hour allows ample time for the procedure to be completed before giving another attempt. In the event that it's been 2 hours or more and you decide to call, it's very helpful to make an attempt immediately before the call that might be logged to give an indicator that's easy to track.