W3C timeouts

Hello.  I apologize ahead of time if I have sent this email to the wrong 
place, but I wanted to ask a question about the validator.   W3C is my 
favorite.  We are a state agency that use this checker quite a lot. 
However, I have noticed that it is very hit and miss now.  It never used 
to be quite so hit and miss but became so, with lots of time-outs, about 
two or three months ago.  Do you know what the problem could possibly be? 
We didn't get added to any block list did we? 

Thanks.

Carol S. England
Department of Consumer Affairs
Office of Information Services
Internet/Intranet Development Unit
1625 N. Market Blvd., Suite S-300
Sacramento, CA 95834
(916) 574-8148