Locate the make and model of your modem and write the info down. Visit the makers web site and find the page with "drivers" or support/software/etc...

Check to see if you have the most up to date drivers on your machine, usually you never see a connection lower than 33k unless the drivers are old, even with bad phone lines near your home. Once you update you will usually connect at a minimuin of 44k and possibly 50k.

Do you know how to look up your driver version?