The fundamental limits of the outside loop plant to carry high-speed digital (bi-directional HDSL and ADSL) data are reported. The paper focuses on the copper wire pairs, drop lengths, and interconnects that convey data over the “last mile” to almost all businesses and residences in the US. The two major customers, businesses and households, are classified, characterized, and categorized by the distance to the central office or the remote terminal. Their spectral capabilities are computed and their ultimate digital capabilities are reported. The crosstalk limitations inherent in the plant are also computed and verified against the loss of signal due the distance and spectral constraints. The signal to noise ratio can thus be estimated to ascertain the transmission quality through the plant. Accordingly, the paper reports on losses, bandwidths, and bit rates in the first half, and discusses the major bottlenecks in the second half