I had DSL with SBC for 3 years, the last year was flooded with repeated connection loss. I was right at the edge of the service area when I got it, and they told me just before I canceled, they reduced the area where they would offer it.
I then got cable modem from Comcast. $60 dollars a month after 3 months of $14.95. Its damned rediculus. The best download speed I ever got with cable was 3MB. After having the cable modem running for 9 months without a hitch, I started getting disconnected from about 2PM to anywhere from 3-5PM. Spent 3 month with them trying to service it. They said something was overloading the circuit during that time. They would make an adjustment and it would be fine for a week then start dropping again. It got really old not being able to play WoW after work.
So about a year after leaving SBC, I got a call from them saying they added more equipment. So I went back to SBC, 1.5MB download, no realy noticible diference with gaming. Comcast still was having the disconnect issues, and their customer serve was pretty crappy. All in all, I'm happier with SBC DSL than I was with Comcast. The past 5 months I have only lost my connection once, due to a brownout.
If you have multiple computers at home, I suggest spending the money on their 2Wire Gateway (4 100MB ports, plus wireless route) they will then support your connection to multiple computers. If you go with your own router, they wont help troubleshoot any connection issues with multiple computers.
Basic DSL info:
Your download speeds will be based on distance from the central office with DSL. SBC I think was charging $14.95 for 1.5Mb and $24.95 for 3Mb.
Basic Cable info:
Your max download speed is based on how many subscribers are using bandwidth in your area. Many companies have started capping an individuals max bandwidth in areas with lots of subscribers. I never got more than 3Mb in my area, but I had a friend who frequently got 6-7Mb.
Both will give you a dynamic IP. Any time you loose connection to the central office, you get a new IP assigned to your modem. If you plan on hosting a website, you will probably need to got with a business plan and pay more.
Edited, Fri Feb 3 17:16:23 2006 by BloodwolfeX
Edited, Fri Feb 3 17:26:51 2006 by BloodwolfeX