A cable modem has one cable output through out a big area (eg. neighborhood)

If many people have a cablemodem in that same area, then the user's speeds are cut. If only one person is on the output (on a farm if you have the choice) then it is extremely fast.

DSL providers give every suscriber a seperate line (more like a phone line) and that line is personolized. The reason DSL is sometimes more expensive is that you have to get a new connection for yourself. In a cable modem, you get a connection with the output that is already there.

__________________