Broadband?

[Grant]

So if you are far from the exchange it will be slow. Obviously the better quality copper you have, the better speed over distance you will get

Bearing in mind that about 40% of the copper network in the UK is up to and over 120 years old, and a vast majority of this is interlinking exchanges I shouldn't pin too much on that fact. Granted a damaged cable will reduce/remove internet performance, but most cable damage is due to excavations, which is fixed there and then. You seldom see cables corrode as they are either grease filled, or have compressed air run through them for this purpose