[Coco] Modem ISP Problem (sort of OT)

[KnudsenMJ at aol.com]

Since we all have to connect to the Net to use this group, this is not  
totally OT.
Anyway, why would a vintage 2000 56KB modem stop working with some dial-up  
sites and not others?
 
My ISP has three phone numbers -- two local (toll free), and one in a  nearby 
city (Portland, ME) that costs me 15 cents/minute.  About a month  ago (after 
some storms went thru the area, maybe), the two local sites stopped  working 
with my modem, but the money-sucking site still works same as  ever.
 
The two local sites answer the phone and go thru all the swish-swish and  
dang-a-dang-bong protocol sounds, but after a minute of this chatter my PC gives  
up and moves on to the next phone number.  I can't tell which sounds  
originate at my end versus the ISP end.
 
The weird thing is that a neighbor's PC still works just fine on the  local 
sites!  Maybe her modem is more modern in some way?  Mine is a  US Robotics 
0701, external.
 
I've reported this to the ISP (AOL), got a form reply that "they're  working 
on it", but I doubt it.
I suspect the local sites have been reconfigured to no longer support my  
modem's protocol, but the Portland site still does. 
 
Anyway, maybe there are some modem gurus out there with theories.
Change some modem internal settings?
Re-flash the modem's internal ROM (if possible)?
Buy a new (internal) modem card, and save this one for my Linux box if I  
ever put it on line?
 
Thanks, Mike K.