I have been using cable via Adelphia for about a year now. Having switched from dial-up, this has been terrific. However, I have been trying to compare what I have with what Verizon is offering. Adelphia is not publishing its speed while Verizon is telling me they provide downstream/upstream 3Mbps/768Kbps. Please help me understand how to compare. Relatively speaking, are the Verizon numbers fast or not? Thanks. Steve

Depending on the price thats fast.

First I'm going to answer a questing with a question, where in the F&^% did you get the idea that DSL was limited to three megs?? My provider is cyberonic and you should check out www.howstuffworks.com before you make any more stupid assumptions or even worse lose a customer because you provided inaccuarate knowledge about IT. This is more proof that time in grade doesn't mean jack squat anymore. One more hint.....did you know that cable and dsl companies will negotiate rates and speeds with you?

Cable and DSL are equal but it depends on you location, my area happens to have one of the best DSL systems available, my internet has only gone down 2 times in 4 years. Our cable system is one of the nations worst the one month that I had cable it worked 50% of the time.

Verizon is offering a straight-up deal of $59.95 per month. They rebate the equipment installation at 100% plus $10. We pay about the same for the cable but in addition have to subscribe to a digital TV package bringing the total to about $120 per month. We are not TV watchers so I feel we are paying the better part of $75 per month for the cable internet. Subjectiveness makes it slightly more difficult to make a clear comparison.

59.99 a month is pretty high, go to www.broadbandreports.com and click the find serrvice link, after that it will display whats available in your area...and even better links to forums that will report how good a provider is in your area. Broadband will vary from house to house it all depends on the who has the weakest link.

ALL RIGHT LETS NOT GET ALL F%^% PO'd.

VDSL Does exceed that, but is only available for VERY short distances AND business customers, BIG $.

ADSL does top out (Theoretically) at 8meg* (This IS faster than I thought aDSL was capable of. I will check but I believe you need fiber or VERY good copper), and again is very VERY distance dependent. Realisticaly the top end of most offerings are 1.5meg/ 640. Here that rates gonna take a business account and 200ish/month. SBC did guarantee one of my customers (he can see the POP from his office) 2m/1m but couldn't produce when asked to provide a contract.

TRUE HIGH SPEED DSL IS VERY PRICEY AND NOT GENERALLY AVAILABLE.
This is the key point.

In NW Illinois, 1.5/768 is MAX at the consumer level. Although I haven't even been able to get a business customer at this speed (too far from the POP).
Most people in the area that get DSL here are 768/256.

And I do know very well what is available here, so my customers are well served. (I don't sell comm service, just make them work. I support networks) The last time I read the technicals, earlier this year, they indicated aDSL over copper max'ing in the 3 to 5ish range (Theoretically). I believe you need fiber to even get vDSL.

FINALLY, get whatever high speed you can, even my 144k always on iDSL was amazing compared to dial-up.

* Still under the 10 (Theoretically) for cable.

I recently read a report about gig cable, they have tested gigabit connections over a cable. It requires more bandwidth, they can't have as many TV/HDTV channels, but works. The report did indicate that gig is unlikely in the foreseeable future, but 100m is a real possiblity.

Physically cable is superior there is no doubt about that but many cable systems are almost 30 years old especially in outlying areas, if I could get a good 20meg cable connection I would be all over it. The problem i have is really having no problems I'm 10,000 feet from the switch my speeds are always at what I pay for and I have t1 like reliability at residential prices. I'm also so blessed to have TDS Telecom providing the infastucture, TDS is well known to have the best telephone systems in the country and I agree.

ADSL/2 is slowing rolling out and that is said to support much higher speeds a vDSL the general theory is that you should be able to get cat 5 speeds if your home is wired with giga cable which most new homes are dinky phone lines are a thing if the past.

IMOHO and this is based on pure speculation I think were close to peak on wired internet service with the development of Wifi clouds and Wifimax.