Some comments about cable vs DSL.
My father has a cable modem, in an upper class neighborhood (I would consider it). I have a DSL connection in one of the surrounding Pittsburgh neighborhoods (I'd say in Pittsburgh, but I'm not in the down town, and those who don't know the city might assume it's a "business" district, when this is really a neighborhood/residential area).
Anyway... I have the basic DSL connection -- 640/90.
Over all, my performance is faster/better than the cable modem.
At times, the cable modem is much, much faster, when it gets the full bandwidth, but usually it has to share with the neighborhood, so everyone in the subdivision shares the same pipes and switches.
I'm guaranteed my bandwidth at any given point in time. The cable modem can give "more" but it's not guaranteed at any given point in time.
Also, because cable is a shared system, firewall protection on individual machines is more of a concern, since there is a "cloud" of people sharing the same connection. On the DSL, I have my own phone number, my own switch, my own IP, and my own connection.
Actually, in my location I can go up to the level 3 DSL, which is something like 7,000/640, but I really don't need it :) For $40/month I'm happy with the basics, and the $180/month is unnecessary. That level would be great once the kids start using a computer more, but they are still too young.
FWIW... I love the DSL line. I would consider a cable modem/etc if it tied into my multimedia home-theater system in some way -- and with ATT taking over TCI, that may happen. (Not that Ihave a home theater :() anyway... I still like the DSL line on the computer.
If you have a choice, seriously consider DSL.
Also, in this area our phone service is _much_ more reliable than the cable service :)
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