Some questions regarding TekTalk, alternatives and Rogers.

Okay, so I've decided to go with Teksavvy for their TekTalk and with VMedia for their internet and IPTV. (Sorry; although I shouldn't be apologetic. Their offerings just seemed better, you know?) I've received the ATA—which is a nice looking small device; I'm happy with anything that doesn't take up space—but I'm wondering how to go about hooking up our phones in a way that won't drive us mad. Whee~ See, our modem—Thomson DCM475—will be hooked up in the basement, and I understand that the ATA has to be plugged into that (well, actually, into the router first) and then the base phones would be plugged into the ATA. But the base phones are the ones with the answering machine function. And I don't think anyone in the family relishes the idea of having to make the trip down into the messy lower reaches in order to check out the messages. So. Would it be possible to hook up another phone to the ATA? You know, one of the phones that comes with the base, like an extension (I've no idea what the correct term is). Or is there some other setup we could to do have all the phones on both main and upper floors, and not the basement? Next: any alternatives to TekTalk? I doubt I'd be able to get my parents to switch phone services again, especially without having at least tried the service, but any money we save there could be put towards getting more TV channels/packages. (I've read on the board, or on the Canadian Broadband board, of people spending as little as $4 per month for unlimited VOIP calling. Anything like that, with competitive prices and features and such.) Finally, I had a talk with a Rogers rep who said they wouldn't be able to move up my cancellation date. Although I'd pushed it back from July 15th to the 30th without a hitch, and was just looking to bring it back up to the original date. She said the system wouldn't allow it. Maybe I'm just being stubborn and fed up with Rogers, but I was wondering if that wasn't the case, that it might actually be possible to move up the date. That's that. If I've any more questions, I'll throw them your way again. The other times I've posted here, you've all been a great help, so thanks!