The preferred embodiments of the present invention generally provide improved communications over a subscriber loop that is loaded with at least one and potentially a plurality of load coils. The preferred embodiments of the present invention will support digital subscriber line service over loaded subscriber loops that also support a native POTS interface and offer various techniques for advantageously arbitrating use of the 0-4 KHz baseband between POTS and DSL. Furthermore, the rapid start and stop DSL modulation techniques as well as various mechanisms such as protocol spoofing allow DSL service to appear to be always-on for many end user applications even though DSL communication may cease for POTS signaling messages and completed POTS telephone calls.