Sometimes there will be a different error message, or an explanatory message from us in the login banner. I never leave my computer. Online newspapers, man. Check out the New York Times. If you consistently connect at 26400Kbps or above, consider yourself lucky.
Many telephone lines are simply incapable of allowing a faster connection.
The FCC has placed restrictions on phone lines that limit modems to about 53Kbps at the highest. Well, phone communication requires electricity. The FCC limits how powerful a signal sent over the phone lines can be. While digital phone lines don't have noise issues, the analog phone lines that come into your home do. Noise, or static, can be caused by other devices which plug into your line.