Hey Arn. I have a great deal of respect for you.
I am not preaching that DSL or any form of connection is the best. In my area cable is good as long as not too many people subscribe with in your area.
This is from personal experience. Our local cable provider is not particularly good about its promises or in upgrading its equipment. The local newspaper did a few articles on this. I have worked with people that have had great bandwidth via cable, but in most cases I know people that have seen their speed as well as service drop significantly though the years. It is quite possible that our local area has maximized its bandwidth, at least with the equipment that our local cable provider has installed. I have helped a number of friends both set up cable modems and deal with the local cable companys technical support. I was neither impressed with their technical knowledge base, nor was I impressed with the technicians.
What should a farmer plant in her/his fields?
What ever the grows well with the neighbors.
This doesnt lead to much of a dynamic. Risk takers will try something different, and quite often prevail. I do believe that the best way to choose any ISP is to ask around first. Because there is only one cable provider in my area there is no comparison. There are several DSL providers, but all of them have one thing in common. They all use the same backbone, which is owned by Sprint. Coincidentally, Sprint customers seem to get their service up and running faster than anybody elses do. A little bit of knowledge can lead to a lot of power.
My only advice is if anybody has problems take detailed notes. Write down everything, including the name of the person that helped you, as well as the time that a person was on hold. Get extension numbers if you can. If your service turns out not to be as advertised, and there is a better service in your area, then you will have enough information to help get you out a contract, or to prove that they have not provided what they promised.
Also- The technical support people are human. Treat them well, do what they ask you to do, and be firm about your position. Make sure that they take notes and lastly, be polite even if they are not.
