Paul,

No they are different.
They both offer broadband connectivity to the internet, but differently.

Simply put, DSL is telephone company solution and has the advantage of being consistent in speed. You can order it at different speed levels and you will get the speed you order.

At the basic service level a cable modem is faster, but it is very much a true network. The more people in your local area that log on simultaneously using their cable modems and the slower your connection may become. And though not as consistent as DSL it doesn't necessarily mean that cable will be anywhere near as slow as that old 56k modem.

Not all localities have both. If you have a choice consider yourself fortunate. For example, I have DSL at the office and a cable modem at home. Due to actual physical distance to the telephone company switching office I'm not likely to be offered DSL at home any time soon.

Both are great. A conventional modem is suffering.

Marty