And DSL, unlike cable modems, requires an extra phone line. A cheaper DSL service, called G.Lite, will be less fast but less expensive, in part because it works over existing connections and doesn't require the installation of signal splitters. DSL gives a direct connection with a guaranteed connection speed. As cable modems become more popular in an area, the average connection speed tends to decrease. DSL modems aren't interoperable.
Cable modems have security and business issues.
It's possible that industry consolidation may render such competition moot. As cable companies and phone companies continue to buy one another, one or the other broadband technology may be tossed aside. Right now, cable modems have the edge. But, as with anything else on the Internet, that could change in an instant. Talk about it.